Dr. Claire Jenkins is a trans woman and convert to the Catholic Church. She was married with four children until in 1999 she transitioned from male to female at 50-years-old. Prior to this Claire was part of the leadership team in a secondary school. One of here many achievements at that school was to set up a vibrant PHSE department, a first for the school.  She was seconded from this role for 12 months to research sex education in Nottinghamshire schools to find out what resources and teacher training was required to deliver good quality sex education.  In 2013 she was awarded a PhD from the University of Sheffield for her research into the effect of transitioning on the family members of trans people. Subsequently she has advised several research projects and has spoken at many Catholic and secular university conferences. From 2017-23 she was actively involved in the pastoral care of LGBT Catholics where she coordinated a team (lay and ordained) who carried out this important work within her diocese. She also gives ongoing support to LGBT Muslim asylum seekers and refugees some of whom have become her close friends. Importantly she also belonged to a small working party who advised the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales about trans issues.  In May 2020 Claire was awarded a Senior Fellowship at Margaret Beaufort Institute, Cambridge where she is researching Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) young people’s experiences in schools.  This work has now been developed into a research project which will take place until 2025.  Currently she is working on publication of the research findings and organising an international conference to address gender ideology/theory within the Catholic Church.  She is uniquely placed as a senior trans woman and academic to enable trans people’s voices to be heard in both academia and education.

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