Helen King
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helenking.bsky.social
Helen King
@helenking.bsky.social

Sort of retired (not), Professor Emerita, The Open University. Classics, history of medicine/the body/gynaecology. Writer, blogger, C of E lay preacher, chair of Together on General Synod (formerly Gender & Sexuality Group). She/her. Likes flowers. .. more

Helen King is a British classical scholar and advocate for the medical humanities. She is Professor Emerita of Classical Studies at the Open University. She was previously Professor of the History of Classical Medicine and Head of the Department of Classics at the University of Reading. .. more

History 52%
Philosophy 21%
Pinned
If you fancy reading something about the history of women’s bodies, and about what has been taken as defining a ‘proper woman’ (and how dodgy that is)… a reminder that my book came out in paperback last month! Immaculate Forms, Profile Books profilebooks.com/work/immacul...
Immaculate Forms - Profile Books
profilebooks.com

So bitty, so not what tennis is about… can’t see how this would make anyone think tennis is interesting

And I wrote that before Sabalenka called a time out so she could do a little dance…

Well, the tennis Battle of the Sexes is a waste of a Sunday afternoon

It’s nearly 2026, when the Church of England elects General Synod again. And a lot hangs on this. viamedia.news/2025/12/28/t...
The Archbishop and the Ballot Box: Why 2026 Will Be a Critical Year for the Church of England - ViaMedia.News
by Nic Tall, National Co-ordinator of Together for the Church of England When future church historians look back at 2026 and judge what most shaped the direction of the Church of England in that year,...
viamedia.news

It’s normal. It’s also normal then to delete the whole flipping paragraph!

Apart from the annual experience as altar server of having my chair nearly in this crib with the scary stare-y doll looking at me, lovely!

Well thank you and I am delighted to hear that you enjoyed it!

Echoing that!

That’s a lovely thing to say - thank you!

I go a bit funny if I haven’t written any Words for a while so I get this

I’m just going upstairs for a bit… theretiringacademic.com/2016/12/27/c...
Christmas for academics
I may just be going upstairs for a few minutes…
theretiringacademic.com

Reposted by Helen King

Will an anthropologist be able to identify your sex and gender from your bones 100 years from now? I sure hope so!

Read my essay on the limited and limiting methods we currently have for sex estimation to learn where the science has room to improve.

www.prosocial.world/posts/an-ant...
An Anthropologist’s Perspective on Sex and Gender in the Skeleton
Anthropological methods show that skeletal sex is an estimate, not a certainty, revealing the limits of binary claims about human identity.
www.prosocial.world

I completely agree. But sending that pre-Oct paperwork only a few days before the meeting sounds to me like a deliberate move.

www.churchofengland.org/media/press-... no decision today; delayed til the January meeting. Overall, I think that is reasonable as the bishops were given very little time in Oct to read the masses of paperwork and no doubt there was even more this time
House of Bishops continues work finalising Living in Love and Faith decisions | The Church of England
At a meeting at Lambeth Palace, the bishops have agreed to spend more time finalising proposals on the LLF process.
www.churchofengland.org

Agree! But some commitment to doing the due process thing is what’s lacking so far

At the moment it looks like they are keeping their backsides out of everything and leaving it to clergy to take the flak

Another dean speaks out: meanwhile the Alliance states that it may revive its plans for a formal Day of Action if its demands are not met. Pray for our bishops, meeting tomorrow www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/202...
Temperature rises ahead of Bishops’ formal vote to put the brakes on same-sex marriage
‘I believe God has called me to faithful, permanent, stability of life with another woman’ says Dean of Bristol
www.churchtimes.co.uk

Mandy Ford, Dean of Bristol Cathedral, speaks out! “Where, among our bishops, are those with the courage to act from love, who are willing to risk the breaking in of the Kingdom?“ togethercofe.org.uk/dean-of-bris...
Dean of Bristol sends message to the Bishops – Together for the Church of England
togethercofe.org.uk

Reposted by Helen King

Just one final thing - someone filmed some of my departure speech after Monkey Cage last night (I should make it clear no one knew I was going to do it) and it has been put up here - i cannot deny i was very emotional #science #comedy

www.chortle.co.uk/news/2025/12...
Robin Ince forced to quit Radio 4 over pro-trans views : News 2025 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide
Robin Ince forced to quit Radio 4 over pro-trans views - Comic leaves Infinite Monkey Cage after pressure from bosses
www.chortle.co.uk

The list of those signing the Inclusive Church letter is now published on www.inclusive-church.org/wp-content/u...
www.inclusive-church.org

Yes, this is so

Yes. Even having read Andrew Graystone’s first edition and the Makin Report, I’m reeling too

Harrowing. The concept of ‘loyalty’ meaning not speaking out, not challenging your husband/father…
Ongoing decimation of British universities part 252:

Apx. 1000 academic staff at University of Essex just received formal ‘risk of redundancy’ letters via email.

Please share @ucuessex.bsky.social @ucu.org.uk

#bloomscrolling in Oxfordshire - first snowdrops of the season

Reposted by Helen King

Thank you to everyone who signed the letter from @inclusivechurch.bsky.social after the Bishops of @churchofengland.org issued their most recent guidance on the Prayers of Love and Faith and same sex relationships
Please share

www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk/inclusive-ch...
Inclusive Church Open Letter re LLF | Thinking Anglicans
www.thinkinganglicans.org.uk

Reposted by Karen O’Donnell

Yes. ‘Enough is enough’. Thank you, Joe Hawes

togethercofe.org.uk/dean-of-st-e...
Dean of St Edmundsbury Speaks Out on LGBT+ Inclusion – Together for the Church of England
togethercofe.org.uk

Great title there!

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall

Thread…
A new report on dietary findings in a select area of Pompeii likely inhabited by enslaved people came out in Scavi di Pompei. Many newspapers are now running w/a headline about Roman slaves “eating better” than free Romans. pompeiisites.org/e-journal-de... Let’s discuss why this is problematic