Kathryn Leia

Kathryn Leia

@voxossa.bsky.social

Researcher & artist with a Masters in Gender Studies interested in the memorialisation of historically marginalised people. Memento Mori | Memento Vivere

198 followers235 following422 posts

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

Double whammy for today’s #31DaysOfGraves prompt of ‘portrait’ with a portrait (well, bust) of a portrait painter. William Bonnar RSA died in 1853, and is buried in St Cuthbert’s Kirkyard in Edinburgh.

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

Late in the day, but it’s still #MementoMoriMonday! This tomb is in Greyfriars Kirkyard in Edinburgh. - On the subject of Greyfriars burials: I support trans rights. I am queer. Trans lives are more important than Harry Potter. I will not engage with ‘gender critical’ comments or ‘debate’. Be cool!

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

‘Accident’ is today’s #31DaysOfGraves prompt. There were a lot of coal mines in my local area, historically, and mining accidents claimed many lives. Among those were David Wilson, who died at Lochside in 1932 aged 44, and Robert Birrell, who died at Hill of Beath in 1901 aged 32.

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

#31DaysOfGraves prompt on this stormy Sunday is ‘tree’. I was lucky enough to see the so-called Hardy Tree in 2018 on a trip to London that also included my first visit to Crossbones - and the rest is history (well, Gender Studies + Museums & Heritage, based in Art History!) I do like an ash tree…

Kathryn Leia reposted

Euan
@euan.bsky.social

presented without comment

Leicester Gazette@leicestergazette.leicester.news

Two University of Leicester students speak out over ‘absurd’ and ‘Orwellian’ decision by the BBC and ITV Studios to edit out pride pins worn on University Challenge

leicester.newsBBC edits out pride pins on University Challenge in ‘Orwellian’ move* * * This story was published by **The Leicester Gazette** : a local, independent newspaper about Leicestershire. 1,000 people have already joined our community. Just use those buttons below to download our app and **sign up for free**. * * * Astrophysics student Samuel Carlier and History student Emmeline Hague-Wright were shocked to find that their LGBTQ+ pride pins had been edited out of their University Challenge appearance earlier this year. The episode, initially scheduled for BBC Two on 24 August, was delayed twice before airing on 7 September 2026. The pins showed the progressive LGBTQ+ pride flag, the bisexual pride flag and a rainbow feather. Speaking to the Leicester Gazette, Sam said: “Living in a liberal democracy and having the state broadcaster tell you ‘we’re editing how you look’, seems very Orwellian.” Sam described the choice to remove the pins before broadcast as “weird” and “absurd”. He said: “[Censoring] that seemed weird. If I had worn a rainbow shirt, would they have censored that? If the idea is to keep things impartial, where is that line in the sand?” A side by-side image of Sam wearing the pin and with it having been digitally removed. Photograph: supplied Sam contacted the BBC to try to understand why his pins had been edited out. He told the Gazette: “The BBC people said they’d ring me, and I chased them, they just said go to the complaints website and file a complaint there, that’s what I did.” Since then, Sam hasn’t had a response from the BBC as to why his pins were removed. After the episode had aired, Sam noted that his shirt ‘melted’ into itself occasionally, as a result of the editing. Photograph: supplied ## Students believe the decision was made following online transphobia Emmeline was also shocked when she found out that the feather pin she wore was due to be removed from the episode she was in. It was understood by Emmeline that there was online transphobia in response to previous episode of University Challenge, and she had been contacted by the BBC, anticipating support from the broadcaster. When the BBC contacted her, instead of an offer of support, she was told her pin was going to be removed. “At first it was mostly confusion,” she said. “I heard that they had received a lot of nastiness online from people and I thought they were going to call me to say ‘we have support services if needed,’ and that wasn't what I got at all.” Instead, Emmeline was notified that the episodes were going to be delayed. “It was out of left field, I was confused for a while,” she said. “This entire delay has been because of a feather and two badges on a teammate that were basically impossible [for viewers] to see.” Emmeline had expressed her frustrations with the repeated delays from the BBC, spanning from mid-July to early-September. She said: “We were announced on the website and then delayed again, and then announced on the website a second time, and delayed even further. Speaking about the removal, she said: “It takes a lot of time” she said. “Making it [the edit] look good would be even more expensive and time-consuming. It seems like drastically a lot of effort.” ## Join the conversation Our app is more than just a way to keep up – it's a gateway to award-winning journalism and the local community. __Want to support our work?__ Click here for membership__.__ ## Wider criticism on LGBTQ+ support The pins Sam wore during the episode. Photograph: supplied According to leading LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall UK, two in five LGBTQ+ students will hide their identities at university for fear of discrimination. Stonewall has reported that more than 36 per cent of trans students have received hostile conduct from university staff due to their gender identity. Reflecting on the digital removal of the pins, Sam spoke about how disheartening the choice was. He said: “There was maybe like a span of eight years where someone could be uncontroversially out in the open queer – now that’s gone again.” he said. The BBC has also been widely criticised for ‘an attack on the LGBTQ+ community’ by pulling its involvement with the popular show, RuPaul's Drag Race. The broadcaster pulled its involvement in September following “significant financial pressures” as the reason for axing their involvement. The criticism follows another recent controversial edit by the BBC. On its hit show, Strictly Come Dancing, a decision was made to edit out ‘Protect the Dolls’ from contestant Bethany Antonia’s T-shirt. It’s a slogan which has become widely used to support the rights of trans women. The BBC defended their decision, saying the changes were made to meet editorial guidelines. It comes as the LGBTQ+ community has faced challenges amid an increasingly less tolerant political climate. ## What the BBC had to say When we asked them about editing out the pins worn by Leicester’s University Challenge team, a BBC spokesperson said: “In line with our editorial guidelines, we advise that no badges, flags, and emblems or symbols are worn or visible during filming, along with clothing with obvious branding or slogans. If such items are not removed for any reason then a decision is made between the programme makers and the BBC regarding any edits to the programme.” The BBC said the delays to the episode were unrelated to the decision to edit out the pins. A spokesperson for ITV Studios said: “University Challenge is an entertainment quiz show and is made in accordance with the BBC Editorial Guidelines requirements for impartiality.” The University of Leicester refused to comment on the matter. * * * **Before you go…** We’ve recently surpassed 1,000 subscribers, which is amazing considering we’re a small team on a shoestring budget. Now, we’re ready for the next stage of the Leicester Gazette. **Download our new app and get all of our journalism anytime, anywhere.** The app connects with **Bluesky** , **Mastodon** and **Threads** , giving you access to a network of around 60 million people. It’s a safer, more meaningful alternative to mainstream social media – owned by the community. * * *
Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

What’s it like living in a creative household? Well, I helped with some spray painting, and after washing my hands, I now sparkle like a Twilight vampire. Took some cool greyscale photos, though!

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

Day 24 of #31DaysOfGraves being us to ‘contrast’. On the coast north of Montrose is Nether Kirkyard. It was a bright, cold day with strong shadows, so the lettering stood out clearly. Unlike the other women buried here, Helen Brand’s profession is mentioned - she was a midwife in the 1800s.

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

*repost to edit* Today’s prompt is ‘wings’. I love the dynamic pose of this figure in Kensal Green, which, it was pointed out to me, looks like ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’ - I know nothing about cars! The grave belongs to Thea Canonero Altieri (thanks to The London Dead blog, link below). - #31DaysOfGraves

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

*repost to edit* Today’s prompt is ‘wings’. I love the dynamic pose of this figure in Kensal Green, which, it was pointed out to me, looks like ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’ - I know nothing about cars! The grave belongs to Thea Canonero Altieri (thanks to The London Dead blog, link below). - #31DaysOfGraves

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

Today’s prompt is ‘mourning’. This boy died at only 10 years old in 1868, and his inscription reads “deeply mourned by his sorrowing parents”. - Someone, in an act of mourning or memorialisation, has planted a rose on the grave relatively recently. - #31DaysOfGraves

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

Back to Abney Park for ‘air’, day 21 of #31DaysOfGraves. - In 1826, Margaret Graham became the first British woman to make a solo hot air balloon flight. - This memorial was created in 2022 thanks to the efforts of the Abney Park Trust.

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

#31DaysOfGraves prompt for day 20 is ‘fire’ - I visited Saline Old Kirkyard yesterday, and noticed this stone from 1822 had tealight candles placed on top of it.

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

This is one of several gravestones with skull imagery in Saline (pronounced Sal-inn, not saline aka contact lens juice!) Old Kirk Yard. - #MementoMoriMonday

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

‘Water’ for #31DaysOfGraves. In 1886, 17 year old William Hunter drowned in Town Loch while trying to save another boy’s life. This grave is in my local cemetery, and I regularly walk / cycle around the loch.

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

I wanted to use Douglas Adams’ grave for #31DaysOfGraves prompt ‘earth’, but I guess I didn’t take a photo of it. This one’s a bit more tenuous… - “My flesh shall slumber in the ground, Till the last Trumpels joyful sound, Then burst the chains with street surprise, And in my Saviour’s image rise”

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

It took me a while to think of a grave I’d actually visited for today’s #31DaysOfGraves prompt, ‘music’. - Near Joseph Grimaldi’s grave are two coffin-shaped installations that chime musical notes when stepped on. Annoyingly, I’ve lost the ‘grave dancing’ video I took…

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

Today’s #31DaysOfGraves prompt is ‘faith’. This gravestone, featuring hands held in the position of Kohanim blessing, is in the Jewish Burial Ground in Westgate Hill, Newcastle.

Kathryn Leia reposted

Dr Dean Burnett
@drdeanburnett.bsky.social

The whole Arday scandal and the reaction to it makes perfect sense when you assume that, for those responsible, the death of a young black person of some modest prominence and influence was a good outcome, they're glad it happened, and would like to do it again.

Mic Wright@brokenbottleboy.bsky.social

God, these people are such fucking pricks. He’s dead. This is dancing on a grave.

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

If you’ve ever travelled with me, you’ll know that I always try to visit the local old cemetery wherever I am. Today’s #31DaysOfGraves comes from Faro, Portugal, where my partner got dragged round two cemeteries and an ossuary! The prompt is ‘language’.

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

‘Bricks’ is today’s #31DaysOfGraves prompt. - Here’s the late summer evening sun streaming through the arches in the colonnade at Brompton casting shadows of gravestones.

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

The BBC’s decision to blur out a t-shirt saying “protect the dolls” followed by an announcement of a two part documentary about JKR’s transphobia doesn’t encourage me to pay for a tv licence and start watching anything from them…

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

I have *so many* photos i could use for today’s #31DaysOfGraves prompt of ‘unusual’, but I’ve gone with this one from my local cemetery. I’ve never seen another quite like it. - Agnes Elder died aged 19 in 1866, and is buried here alongside her parents, David and Catherine.

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

Happy #MementoMoriMonday to one and all! - I took this photo six years ago - my gravestone photography has improved since then! Sadly, the old cemetery in South Queensferry is now locked due to vandalism and inaccessible to the public.

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

Today’s prompt in #31DaysOfGraves is ‘ordinary’. - These images are from St John at Hackney Churchyard Garden, where the headstones of hundreds of ordinary Londoners from the 1800s have been moved to the perimeter of the space, creating an open public park for current ordinary Londoners.

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

#31DaysOfGraves day 11 - ‘humorous” - I did a genuine double take at this monument in Dunbar with the unfortunate loss of a letter… - The photo is cropped so as not to show the names of the deceased, I don’t mean to be disrespectful, please take this with lighthearted intention.

Kathryn Leia reposted

Scotland's Churches Trust
@scotchurchestrust.bsky.social

Day 9 of #31DaysOfGraves - Lettering If you are ever having trouble reading an historic gravestone you will be absolutely amazed what a night-time visit and a torch held at a raked angle will reveal! 🪦🔦 This beautiful example is in Stenton Kirkyard in East Lothian.

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

I’m loving seeing all the #31DaysOfGraves daily posts, the variety in interpretation and the pictures from places I’ve never been especially. - Yay for the cemetery nerds community! 🪦🖤

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

#31DaysofGraves day 10: ‘missing’. - This is from a visit along the coast to Culross back in January. A lot of the memorials here date from the 1700’s, and some are so heavily worn and weathered that the inscriptions are now entirely missing.

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

Day 9 of #31DaysOfGraves prompt is ‘lettering’. - I like the cursive script on William Blake’s gravestone at Bunhill Fields. This marker has only been in place since 2018, following work to identify the exact location of his burial. The previous stone is still there too.

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

Back to Abney Park again for today’s #31DaysOfGraves prompt of ‘animal’. I have lots of pictures of graves featuring animal imagery and wildlife in cemeteries, but Susannah and Frank Bostock’s lion tugs at my heartstrings. - The second picture is a digital drawing I made (no AI!) a while back.

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

Today’s prompt in #31DaysOfGraves is ‘weather’. - Last year, I had a holiday in Mallorca with my mum. The day I chose to explore along the coast on a rental bike was wild and stormy, but I still explored the local cemetery.

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

I’m not forgetting it’s #MementoMoriMonday! - This little skull is part of a large ornate tomb in Greyfriars, Edinburgh, where I had a lovely autumnal walk almost a year ago.

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

Day 5 of #31DaysOfGraves prompt is ‘vehicle’. - Richard Tams’ memorial has an engraved scene featuring what I think is a Romani vardo, though please correct my terminology if it’s not accurate, I mean to be respectful.

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

Devin Townsend’s ‘Spirits Will Collide’ has never made me cry before, but with various Life Things going on right now, it got me good. Fuck, I love live music! That was a heartachingly beautiful solo acoustic show 🖤

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

I had SO MANY photos to choose from for today’s #31DaysOfGraves prompt - ‘entrance’. - This is the way down into the catacombs at Brompton. I’ve added a closeup of the gates, because the imagery is 🔥

Kathryn Leia
@voxossa.bsky.social

#31DaysOfGraves - ‘glass’ - There were various pieces of old broken ceramics and glass on the overgrown paths around St John’s, and being an absolute magpie for shiny things, this one caught my attention.