Ash Paley

@ashpaley

PhD student at IMS - University of Leeds. Neuroqueering medieval mystics. Trans masc. Autistic 🏳️‍⚧️🇵🇸 He/they

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Ash Paley@ashpaley· Jul 11

IMC 2027 CfP: Community and the Uncanny: Neurodivergent Inclusion and Exile in the Middle Ages #IMC #IMC2027 #CfP #Neurodiversity #Medieval

A call for papers for the International Medieval Congress (IMC).
There is a colourful medieval style header with 5 rainbow clad people dancing to a lute player. Underneath is a Neurodiversity infinity symbol.
Text reads:
Despite the importance of community for human wellbeing, the neurodivergent experience of what community has meant throughout history has often differed greatly from that offered by neuronormative societies. Building on the success of our 2026 series, Neurodivergent and Neuroqueer Temporalities, we once again invite scholars working in neurodiversity studies and neuroqueer theory within medieval studies to present papers on the IMC’s 2027 theme, ‘Communities’.

This series invites proposals for papers that examine aspects of medieval and medievalist communities through a neurodivergent or neuroqueer lens. This includes, but is not limited to:
-Exploration of the social interactions of neurodivergent individuals in medieval communities.
-Examination of the relationships between neurodivergent and neurotypical characters in medieval literature.
-Discussions of the experiences of neurodivergent scholars in medieval studies.
-Exploration of the formation of neurodivergent or neuroqueer communities across time with figures or concepts from the Middle Ages.

Paper proposals should be under 200 words and accompanied by a bio of no more than 150 words. Proposals should be sent to D.M.Coultas@leeds.ac.uk for the attention of Dan Coultas and Ash Paley no later than Monday, 14th September 2026.
Successful applicants are reminded that they remain responsible for their own conference registration and fees.

Ash Paley@ashpaley· Jul 10

I love this creature, but she keeps getting me up at ungodly hours of the morning and then spending her days like this:

A small, brown dog (Shih Tzu) sleeping peacefully on her side on a sheepskin rug. The rug is under a bed.

Ash Paley@ashpaley· Jul 3

I’ll be giving my paper ‘Mystical Anticipation and Neuroqueer Longing in the Works of Hadewijch of Brabant’ at #IMC #s324 on Monday at 16:30

Digital drawing of an hourglass with rainbow sand

Ash Paley@ashpaley· Jun 16

I may have fallen down a rabbit hole

A book with the title Middelnederlansch Handwoordenboek

Ash Paley@ashpaley· Jun 8

I emailed him in February and got an email back which included this, so he really should be signing it. I can’t point this out to him, though, because I no longer live in his constituency

The Government is continuing to consider the EHRC’s proposed Code of Practice.

At this stage, the draft code has not yet been presented to Parliament, or to the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR), of which I am a member. Therefore, I have not yet had access to a copy of it so that I can fully scrutinise it in detail.

I note that the Council of Europe’s Commissioner on Human Rights wrote to the JCHR and the Women and Equalities Select Committee to warn against the UK adopting “measures that could exclude transgender people from many areas of life”. I acknowledge the issues raised in the letter and aim to do what I can to resolve them as an MP and as a member of the Joint Committee on Human Rights.

My firm belief is that any code must be compatible with the Gender Recognition Act 2004 and existing equalities law. It must not infringe upon the rights of transgender people.

The Minister for Women and Equalities may present the draft code unamended to Parliament, where it must sit for 40 days. If the proposed code infringes upon the rights of transgender people, I will support a motion pressing for a Parliamentary debate and vote.

I will not support a code that fails to respect and protect the human rights of transgender people.

The Minister also has the option to request that the EHRC revise the draft before it is presented to Parliament, or to reject it outright.

Ash Paley@ashpaley· Jun 1

These ‘inclusive toilet’ signs have appeared on the disabled toilets at the university of Leeds

Photo of the door of a disabled toilet with a small, round inclusive sign above the handle

Ash Paley@ashpaley· May 22

Or donate them to a good cause

Medieval nun harvesting penises from a penis tree

Ash Paley@ashpaley· May 22

It's a two parter

Star Trek the Next Generation title screen with "...And Makes It Everyone's Problem" as the title

Ash Paley@ashpaley· May 22

Star Trek the Next Generation title screen with "Lwaxana Gets Horny Again..." as the title

Ash Paley@ashpaley· May 22

Dodgeball gift of prophecy meme.
A girl in the foreground prepares to throw a dodgeball at three girls in the background. The girl in the foreground is labelled ‘Apollo’, the ball is labelled ‘the gift of prophecy’, and the girls in the background are labelled ‘random internet users just trying to be comedic.’

Ash Paley@ashpaley· May 18

Also

The image has a title reading “Why does my mystic only eat communion wafers?”
Below there is row of four blueberries being held between a finger and thumb with orange nail varnish. Above each is a descriptor “juicy, squishy, sweet, sour.”
Below this is a row of four square crackers held between the thumb and forefinger with orange nail varnish. The words above the crackers read “The same every time.”

Ash Paley@ashpaley· May 18

Post a meme made by you

The mentioned meme. The girl is hold a chalice, wearing Jacques de Vitry’s parchment mitre and medieval vestments, and the wine bottle is labelled communion wine. The background is the interior ceilings of a medieval cathedral in Liège.

Ash Paley@ashpaley· May 3

This might be helpful

A table split into four quarters showing agnostic atheist, gnostic atheist, gnostic theist, and agnostic atheist.

Ash Paley@ashpaley· May 2

Post your warning sign

Ash Paley@ashpaley· Apr 18

“Here it comes” tornado meme with “30s” writing on the tornado

Ash Paley@ashpaley· Mar 31

Does anyone know what this means?

Ash Paley@ashpaley· Mar 24

Finally got around to doing my patch for the trans unity quilt

Large piece of blue material with the words “Quasi parturiens Clamabant
Iura transgenorum iura humana aunt” in blue, pink, and black letters”
To the left is a medieval inspired illustration of a king. To the right is a medieval inspired image of Hildegard of Bingen
In the centre is an illustration of the side wound of Jesus as found in medieval manuscripts

Ash Paley@ashpaley· Mar 11

The Craven Bank issued notes with the Craven Heifer on them. The Craven Heifer (1807-1812) was and remains the largest cow ever shown in England. Her painting falls into the genre of large, square farm animal paintings of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. I have have print of her in my bedroom

Ash Paley@ashpaley· Feb 27

Taken from Natasha Lodger's x account

Quote tweeting J K Rowling supporting her view of the Sandie Peggie trial

Reply congratulating Ted Cruz for unmasking an activist

Ash Paley@ashpaley· Feb 18

Line drawing of guy from the yea meme saying yea

Ash Paley@ashpaley· Nov 8

This seems particularly ridiculous to me considering this is what my nonbinary self looked like when joking Brownies in 2003

Picture of a short haired child in a Brownie uniform

Picture of a short haired child in a Brownie uniform doing the Brownie promise facing a blonde woman and in front of of a Brownie flag he by two anonymised other children

Ash Paley@ashpaley· Oct 7

There’s definitely filming under the name ‘Brown Cat’

Ash Paley@ashpaley· Sep 28

I found a similar one from 1788. They were actually 50 and 17 according to their marriage license.

Newspaper article reading:
On Monday last was married, at Harewood church, Mr. John Craven, of King-Lane, near this town, aged 75, to Miss Lupton, of Huby aged 14.
"Thus round with'ring Oak the Ive 'twines."

Ash Paley@ashpaley· Sep 16

The town for the strikers. The strike ended in October when the demand for an the restoration of wages was granted. Jonathan died suddenly 18 years later at the age of 68. This was reported in the Intelligencer on 6th January 1849. The cause of death was "visitation by God." 7/7

Newspaper clipping reading:
SUDDEN DEATH.-On Tuesday, the 26th of
December last, Jonathan Worsnop, who resided in Manchester Road, having occasion to go to Great Horton for the purpose of viewing some property, went for that purpose, and having returned home sat himself down in his chair, and while talking about the business he had been transacting, fell out of his chair and immediately expired. An inquest was held on his body before Mr. Dyson, coroner, yesterday week, at the house of Mr. William Galloway, the Fleece Inn, Manchester Road, when a verdict of "Died by the visitation of God" was returned.

Ash Paley@ashpaley· Sep 16

To shout "baa" and "black sheep" at him. A crowd gathered and "began to use him very roughly". The insults and the context pf the strike likely mean that Whitehead was a strikebreaker and that the crowd attacked him for that reason. According to Robert John Morris' "Class Sect and Party" (1990) 2/7

Newspaper clipping part 2 reading:
On the same day, Jonathan Worsnop, a moulder, was charged with having assaulted John Whitehead, another of Messrs. Gott's weavers. It appeared that the complainant was passing near the top of Marsh-lane, on Friday night, when some persons began to call out "baa," "black sheep," and a crowd imme- diately congregated, who began to use him very roughly. He swore that the defendant was very active in the affray, and not only assaulted him, but prevented him from going into a house for refuge. This the defendant denied, and appealed to the good character for quietness and peaceful behaviour given him by his employer, Mr. Zebulun Stirk, in refutation of the charge. The case was adjourned to Wed- nesday to procure additional testimony, and the defendant was discharged on entering into recognizances to appear. Yesterday, the parties again attended, and after hearing one or two witnesses the magistrates discharged Worsnop, saying they believed Whitehead to have been mistaken.

Ash Paley@ashpaley· Jul 22

Like this?

Ash Paley@ashpaley· Jul 17

Call for Papers: Leeds IMC 2026 Neurodivergent and Neuroqueer Temporalities Deadline: Monday 15th September 9am #CFP #IMC2026 #Medievalsky #Neurodiversity #Neuroqueer

Call for papaers poster. Medieval image of Hildegard of Bingen as header. Neurodivergent infinity loop behind text.

Text reads: Call for Papers: International Medieval Congress 2026
Neurodivergent and Neuroqueer Temporalities

Over the past decade, critical neurodiversity studies and neuroqueer theory have come to prominence. These new paradigms seek to explore differences in mind through an understanding that there are naturally diverse ways of being rather than through pathologisation. While the paradigms are beginning to be used in other academic disciplines, they are yet to be implemented in a significant way in medieval studies. This panel seeks to change this by encouraging medievalists to see the potentials in neuroqueer and neurodivergent scholarship and prompting discussion in these areas.
This panel is requesting proposals for papers which examine aspects of medieval temporalities through a neurodivergent or neuroqueer lens. This includes, but is not limited to:
• Application of contemporary neuroqueer or neurodivergent theory to medieval temporal concerns.
• Examination of non-normative experiences of time, e.g. in mystical ecstasy.
• Exploration of neuroqueer attitudes to normative lifecycles.
• Examination of the effects of time and age on the mind in medieval texts.
• Neurodivergent readings of medieval material relating to temporalities.

Paper proposals should be under 200 words and accompanied by a short bio. Proposals should be sent to A.T.Paley1@leeds.ac.uk for the attention of Ash Paley and Daniel Coultas by 9am on Monday 15th September 2025.

Ash Paley@ashpaley· Jun 14

Two of the dogs returned from their holidays today and everyone was very happy

Ash Paley@ashpaley· Jun 9

Ash Paley@ashpaley· Jun 7