CV

I am a scholar and artist with over two decades experience combining these in my ongoing study of sex, gender and sexualities.

• Msc. Gender Studies (with merit) | London School of Economics | October 2000
• Bsc. Psychology and Philosophy | London School of Economics | July 1999

• Bowman, Sarah Lynne, Josefin Westborgs, Kjell Hedgard Hugaas, Elektra Diakolambrianou, and Josephine Baird. 2025. Designing Transformative Analog Role-playing Games. Game: The Italian Journal of Game Studies nr. 12: 2024. https://www.gamejournal.it/designing-transformative-analog-role-playing-games/
• Several contributions (2025) in Transformative Role-playing Game Design edited by Sarah Lynne Bowman, Elektra Diakolambrianou, and Simon Bird (2025) Transformative Role-playing Game Design. Uppsala, Sweden: Uppsala University Press. https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1914253/FULLTEXT02.pdf
• Baird, Josephine and Sabine Harrer. 2024. “Teaching Games While Queer: When Your Identity is the Subject.” MAI: Feminism & Visual Culture. https://maifeminism.com/the-epistemic-peril-of-teaching-games-whilst-queer/
• Bowman, Sarah Lynne, Josefin Westborg, Doris C. Rusch, Josephine Baird, Kjell Hedgard Hugaas and Kaya Toft Thejls. 2024. "Role-playing Games as a Tool for Training Interdisciplinary Collaboration." In Role-playing Games for Interdisciplinary Research Collaborations, edited by Sarah Lynne Bowman and Josefin Westborg.  Uppsala, Sweden: Centre for Integrated Research on Culture and Society (CIRCUS), Uppsala universitet. https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1892204/FULLTEXT01.pdf
• Baird, Josephine. 2023. "Alla Ser ut som Monster. Varsågod, Spela!" Ord & Bild, 2023(5): 7-12.
• Baird, Josephine. 2023. "You Have Rainbow Drops." In Stories of Autistic Joy edited by Laura Kate Dale. London, UK and Philadelphia, PA: Jessica Kingsley Publishing.
• Baird, Josephine. 2023. "Larp as a Potential Space for Non-Formal Queer Cultural Heritage." International Journal of Role-Playing, 14: 71–81. https://doi.org/10.33063/ijrp.vi14.357
• Baird, Josephine. 2023. "Playing It Our Own Way: Trans Deviations of Game Design." In  Deviant Leisure and Events of Deviance. Leisure Studies in a Global Era edited by Ian R. Lamond and Rosie Garland. London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17793-4_3
• Baird, Josephine. 2022. "Learning About Ourselves: Communicating, Connecting and Contemplating Trans Experience Through Play." Gamevironments 17: Special Issue "Social Justice." https://doi.org/10.48783/gameviron.v17i17.200
• Baird, Josephine, Sarah Lynne Bowman, and Kjell Hedgard Hugass. 2022. "Liminal Intimacy: Role-playing Games as Catalysts for Interpersonal Growth and Relating." In The Magic of Games edited by Nikolaus Koenig, Natalie Denk, Alexander Pfeiffer, and Thomas Wernbacher. Krems, Austria: Edition Donau-Universität Krems. https://door.donau-uni.ac.at/open/o:2711
• Baird, Josephine and Sarah Lynne Bowman. 2022. "The Transformative Potential of Immersive Experiences Within Role-playing Communities." Revista de Estudos Universitários - REU. 48, p. e022013. DOI: 10.22484/2177-5788.2022v48id5028. https://periodicos.uniso.br/reu/article/view/5028 (available in English and Portuguese)
• Baird, Josephine. 2021. “Role-playing the Self: Trans Self-expression, Exploration, and Embodiment in (Live Action) Role-playing Games.” International Journal of Role-playing 11: 94-113. https://doi.org/10.33063/ijrp.vi11.285
• Baird, Josephine and Sabine Harrer. 2021. "Challenging Systems of Play: Toward Game Design Ethics for Transgender Allyship." In The 16th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games (FDG) 2021 (FDG’21), August 03–06, 2021, Montreal, QC, Canada. ACM, New York, NY, USA, 6 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/3472538.3472586
• Baird, Josephine. 2021. "The Missing’s misdirect: Or how I came to study transgender exploration, expression and embodiment in videogame-based-learning." In A Ludic Society edited by Natalie Denk, Alexander Pfeiffer, Alesha Serada, Thomas Wernbacher. Krems, Austria: Edition Donau-Universität Krems. https://door.donau-uni.ac.at/open/o:1399
• Baird, Josephine. 2019. "Trans/National Queer Parenting: Or, How We Conceived, Birthed, and Parent a Child across Hetero- and Cis- Normative National, Legal and Social Lines." lamda nordica 24:2-3 191 - 206.
• Baird, Josephine. 2019. “ROGD: En farlig myt.” Socionomen 6:3 38 – 39. 
• Krieg, Josephine. 2013. “A Social Model of Trans and Crip Theory: Narratives and Strategies in the Redefinition of the Pathologized Trans Subject.” lamda nordica 18:3-4 33 – 53. 
• Wilson, Josephine. 2009. “Not So Much ‘MTF’ as ‘SPTBMTQFF’: The Identification of a Trans Femme-inist.” In Visible: A Femmethology Volume One edited by Jennifer Clare Burke, 26 - 30. Ypsilanti, MI: Homofactus Press.
• Wilson, Josephine. 2005. “What Do Lecturers Wear?” In One Teacher in 10 edited by Kevin Jennings (2nded.), 88 – 93. Los Angeles, CA: Alyson Publications.
• Wilson, Josephine. 2002. “Re-Presenting the Represented: A Reflection on the Multi-Layered Representations of Varied Trans Subjectivities.” In Gender Institute Research in Progress Series 2, June 2002 (special issue).

• Baird, Josephine. 2025. "Role-playing Games as a Space to Represent and Practice Conflict Arising from an Homo- and Trans- Phobic Environment." Transformative Play Initiative Seminar 2025, Visby, Sweden. June 12-13, 2025.
• Béart, Samanth, Kirsty Gillmore, and Josephine Baird. 2025. "The Role of Acting in Games." Gotland Game Conference 2025, Visby, Sweden. June 9-11, 2025.
• Baird, Josephine. 2025. "“The Centuries That I’ve Scratched and Clawed Through”: A Queer Close Reading and Autoethnographical Approach to Myth and Queer Metaphor in Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical." Mythological Game Studies Conference, online. May 21-23, 2025.
• Baird, Josephine. 2025. "More Than Representation: Designing Compelling Trans Narratives for Games." Nordic Game Conference 2025, Malmö, Sweden. May 19-23, 2025.
• Bowman, Sarah Lynne, Lauri Lukka, Josephine Baird. 2025. "Losing and Finding Oneself_ Superrealism and the Question of the Character in RPGs."  Role-Play in Games Conference 2025, Tampere, Sweden. April 9-11, 2025.
• Bowman, Sarah Lynn, Josefin Westborg Josephine Baird, Kjell Hedgard Hugaas. 2024. "Establishing and Piloting a Master's Degree in Transformative Analog Role-playing Game Design." Playful by Design 2024, Champaign, IL, USA. November 7-9, 2024.
• Baird, Josephine. 2024. "Developing Compelling Diverse Game Narratives." Workshop. Sweden Game Conference 2024, Skövde, Sweden. October 2-4 2024.
• Baird, Josephine. 2024. "Co-Advocacy: It's Big, It's Clever, and All the Cool Kids Are Doing It." Sweden Game Conference, Skövde, Sweden. October 2-4 2024.
• Baird, Josephine and Per Forsmark. 2024. "Telling Stories through Games." Quickpix Film Festival, Gotland, Sweden. September 12-14 2024.
• Baird, Josephine, Jenny Brusk, Jan Jönsson, and Per Strömbäck. 2024. "Representation in Games and in the Places we Make Games." Almedalen, Gotland, Sweden, June 25-28 2024.
• Baird, Josephine, Jenny Brusk, Adam Palmquist, and Rebecca Rouse. 2024. "Equality in Games." Online seminar for Svenska Spelforskarrådet, Online, June 18, 2024.
• Gillmore, Kirsty and Samantha Béart in conversation with Josephine Baird and Vilhelm Jegerhjelm. 2024. "Character Co-Creation." Gotland Game Conference 2024, Gotland, Sweden, June 4-5 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JbIiSHwUSI&t=5s
• Béart, Samantha and Tamara Katalinic (Josephine Baird Moderating). 2024. "Equality in Games." Gotland Game Conference 2024, Gotland, Sweden, June 4-5 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QRIZQ8J554&t=6s
• Dalby, Marie, Josephine Baird, and Pär Nyström. 2024. "Games and Us: Impacts on Human Development and Gender Identity." CIRCUS, Uppsala University. April 26 2024.
• Baird, Josephine. 2024. “Teaching about Gender in Games While Trans.” GDC: Game Developer’s Conference. San Francisco, CA, March 18-22 2024. 
• Baird, Josephine. 2024. Interviewed for It Takes a Village. February 8, 2024. Online. https://youtu.be/H4_aCh7CfD4?si=JUyzlH5UrJZ8hlWI
• Baird, Josephine. 2023. "Playing While Trans and Playing as Trans: (Trans) Gender Representation and Player Experience in Digital Games." Sweden Game Conference. Skövde, Sweden. November 25-26 2023. Also appeared on panel for Spelfokus podcast episode S03E06 https://rss.com/podcasts/spelfokus/1197317/
• Baird, Josephine and Soni Jörgensen in conversation with Ville Jegerhjelm. 2023. "Att Skriva för Spel." Almedalsbibliotek, Gotland. October 5 2023.
• Bowman, Sarah Lynne and BBC World Service. 2023. "The Documentary: Supporting neuro-divergent students through LARP." Interview/Consultation on production. Online. August 15, 2023. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct5mb9
• Baird, Josephine, Sarah Lynne Bowman and Kaya Toft Thejls. 2023. "Euphoria: Role-playing Gender, Magic, and the Carnivalesque as Emergent Authenticity." Party!: The 19th Annual Tampere University Game Research Lab Spring Seminar. Tampere, Finland. May 4-5, 2023.
• Baird, Josephine, Sarah Lynne Bowman and Kaya Toft Thejls. 2023. "Euphoria: Principles of Game Design for Exploring and Expressing Gender through Role-playing."  Paper Presented at Nordic DiGRA 2023. Uppsala University. April 26-28, 2023.
• Bowman, Sarah Lynne, Josefin Westborg, Doris C. Rusch, Josephine Baird, Kjell Hedgard Hugaas and Kaya Toft Thejls. 2023. "Employing Educational Live Action Role-playing Games to Train Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration." Paper Presented at Nordic DiGRA 2023. Uppsala University. April 26-28, 2023.
• Baird, Josephine. 2023. "A Series of Three Performances." Presentation/Performances at Thinking Wildly with Jack Halberstam Symposium, Uppsala University. March 16-17 2023.
• Baird, Josephine, Sarah Lynne Bowman and Kaya Toft Thejls. 2023. "Courting Euphoria: Designing for Trans and Diverse Gender Exploration, Expression, and Embodiment through Live Action Role-playing." Paper Presented at Nordic Trans Studies Conference 2023, Tampere University. February 23-25 2023.
• Baird, Josephine. 2023. "Playing with Gender: Exploring, Expressing and Embodying (Trans) Gender in Games." Paper presented at CGF Higher Seminar, Karlstad University. January 18 2023.
• Baird, Josephine. 2022. "Larp as a Potential Space for Non-formal Queer Cultural Heritage." Paper presented at Transformative Play Initiative Seminar 2022, October 20-21 2022. https://youtu.be/uZnC71Z8f5Y?si=_WHt1La790W__lDl
• Westborg, Josefin, Josephine Baird, Kjell Hedgard Hugaa and Sarah Lynne Bowman. 2022. "The Transformative Play Initiative Research Report." Paper presented at Knutpunkt. September 9-12 2022.
• Bowman, Sarah Lynne, Josefin Westborg and Josephine Baird. 2022. "Analog Role-Playing Games as Vehicles for Co-Creative Social Skill Development." Paper presented at Ropecon 2022 Academic Seminar, July 29 2022.
• Westborg Josefin, Josephine Baird, Kjell Hedgard Hugaas and Sarah Lynne Bowman. 2022. "The Transformative Play Initiative:  A Research and Education Report." Paper presented at Portal 10 Conference, 24-26 June 2022.
• Baird, Josephine. 2022. "Role-playing as Your Self: Designing a Live Action Role-playing Game for Trans Self-expression, Exploration, and Embodiment." Paper presented at Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association Conference 2022, 13-16 April 2022, Online. Video available here: https://youtu.be/YpAzNFyY754
• Bowman, Sarah Lynne, Doris Rusch, Josefin Westborg, Kjell Hedgard Hugaas, and Josephine Baird. 2021. "Agents of Empowerment: A Role-Playing Game in Service of Cultivating a Soulful and Sustainable Academia." Paper presented at Gamification for Sustainable Development: An International Symposium, 14-15 December 2021, Edinburgh, Scotland. Video available here: https://youtu.be/RzTSRVS1hLQ
• Baird, Josephine. 2021. "The Missing’s Reverse Revelation: A Videogame Attempt at Trans Empathy by Playing Counter Chrononormativity." Paper presented at Queer Temporalities in Literature, Cinema, and Video Games International Conference, December 2 2021, Murcia, Spain. 
• Bowman, Sarah Lynne, Kjell Hedgard Hugaas, and Josephine Baird. 2021. "Liminal Intimacy: Role-playing Games as Catalysts for Interpersonal Growth and Relating." Paper presented at Future and Reality of Gaming (FROG) 2021, Vienna, Austria, November 26 2021. Video available here: https://youtu.be/LdOxwEsmjfs
• Westborg, Josefin, Josephine Baird, Kjell Hedgard Hugaas, and Sarah Lynne Bowman. 2021. "Transformative Play Initiative." Paper presented at Knutepunkt 2021, Oslo, Norway, October 6 2021. Video available here: https://youtu.be/kSpBVZkUIUQ
• Baird, Josephine 2021. "Role-playing the Real: Designing for trans and nonbinary experiences and explorations in larps." Paper presented at Knutepunkt 2021, Oslo, Norway, October 6 2021. Video available here: https://youtu.be/eHiqzEozDck
• Westborg, Josefin, Josephine Baird, Kjell Hedgard Hugaas, and Sarah Lynne Bowman. 2021. "Higher Education for Edu-Larpers: The Transformative Play Initiative." Paper presented at Edu-larp Conference 2021, Oslo, Norway, October 4 2021.
• Baird, Josephine. 2021. "Being Trans in Video Games." Paper presented at Humlab Share, Umeå University, September 8 2021. 
• Baird, Josephine. 2021. “The Missing Trans(gender) Subject: Trans exploration, expression and embodiment in videogame-based-learning.” Paper presented at NordMedia 2021 Conference, Reykjavik, Iceland, August 18–20th 2021
• Baird, Josephine and Sabine Harrer. 2021. "Challenging Systems of Play: Towards game design ethics for transgender allyship." Paper presented at FDG21: Foundations of Digital Games 2021, Montreal, QC, Canada, August 3-6 2021. Video including an interview with Josephine Baird and Sabine Harrer regarding this paper can be found at https://youtu.be/LP3w-IA3TSA
• Baird, Josephine. 2021. “The mislead of The Missing: A queer videogame narrative through misdirection of gameplay, player presumption and storytelling.” Paper presented at International Conference on Games and Narrative, University of Waterloo, U.K., June 11 - 16, 2021.
• Diaklolambrianou, Elektra,  Josephine Baird, Josefin Westborg, and Sarah Lynne Bowman. 2021. “The Therapeutic Potential of Live Action Role-playing Games: Cognitive Considerations.” Paper presented at MET Neuroscience & Theatre Therapy, National University of Theater and Film, CINETic Center, Bucharest, Romania, 26-28 May 2021.
• Baird, Josephine. 2020. “The Missing: Trans exploration, expression and embodiment in video-game-based-learning” at Future and Reality of Gaming Conference, Vienna University, 21 – 22 November 2020.
• Linnamäki, Jori and Josephine Baird. 2020. “An Approach to Board Game Design that Centers Allyship and Empowers Trans People” at Future and Reality of Gaming Conference, Vienna University, 21 – 22 November 2020.
• Linnamäki, Jori and Josephine Baird. 2020. “A Reflection on the Ethical Decision-Making Process During Participatory Game Design and for Vulnerable Populations.” Presented The Gender Studies Conference 2020, Tampere University, 12 – 13 November 2020.
• Baird Josephine. 2019. “Being Trans in Education, Then and Now: The Experience of Being Trans in The Academy at all Levels Spanning More than Two Decades.” Paper presented at Trans, Non-binary and Intersex (in) Education: The 7th Nordic Transgender Studies Network Symposium, Department of Gender Studies, Lund University 14-15 November 2019.
• Baird Josephine. 2018. “The Never-Ending Story of the Trans/Gender Debate: Or, Trans Exclusionary (Radical?) Feminism Then and Now.” Paper presented at the British Psychological Society, Psychology of Sexualities Conference, British Psychological Society, London, 5 – 6 July 2018.
• Krieg, Josephine. 2015. “Do Something Different and Look Cool Doing It.” Paper presented at the Stockholms Konstnärliga Högskola Första Gemensamma Terminstart, Uniarts, Stockholm, 31 August 2015.
• Krieg, Josephine. 2014 “The Power of Laughter: The Performative Challenge of Satirical Writing and Performance in Trans Politics, Theory, and Activism.” Paper presented at Excitable Writing: Transforming Academia, Art, Activism conference, , Linköping University, Linköping 8 – 10 December 2014.
• Krieg, Josephine. 2013. “Trans(gender) Medical Technologies: A Socio-political Historiography of Their Development, Implementation and Cultural Conception.” Paper presented at The Society of the History of Technology Annual Meeting, Portland, Maine, 10 – 13 October, 2013.
• Krieg, Josephine. 2012. “Trans Act/ivism: The Theory and Practice of Trans Political Performance.” Paper presented at The Council of Transgender of Europe, Dublin University 7 – 9 September, 2012.
• Krieg, Josephine. 2012. “An Intersection of Trans and Crip Theory: Narratives and Strategies in the Redefinition of the Medical Model and the Pathologised Trans Subject.” Paper presented at Trans Rights as Human Rights – The Implications for Trans Health(care) Conference, Linköping University, Linköping, 8 – 10 May, 2012.
• Bylund, Christine and Josephine Krieg. 2011. “Perform for Justice! Disability and Performance as a Political Act.” Paper presented at ULOBA Jubilee Conference, Oslo, Norway, 17 June, 2011.
• Krieg, Josephine. 2010. “Gender and Transgender.” Paper presented at Genderqueer University: Questioning Norms in Higher Education conference, Council of Europe Strasbourg, 14 – 21 March, 2010.
• Wilson, Josephine. 2008. “Queer Theory and the Inclusion of Trans.” Paper presented at ANSO Students for Transgender Conference, Århus, Denmark, 16 – 20 May, 2008.
• Wilson, Josephine. 2007. “LGBTQ Identity Wars.” Paper presented at Transfabulous, London, 15 – 17 June, 2007.
• Wilson, Josephine. 2006. “Unboxing Trans/Gender.” Paper presented at Who’s in the Box, Science Museum, London, 7 June, 2006.
• Wilson, Josephine. 2005. “A Multi-narrative Approach to Multi-site Subjectivities: The Deconstruction of a Unitary Understanding of Trans Subjectivity Through Narrative Research.” Paper presented at LSE Postgraduate Seminars in Body and Narrative, London School of Economics, London.

I am a lecturer in game design at Uppsala University Department of Game Design. Prior to that, I have lectured and taught at the university level and given professional and equalities training since 2002. In the UK I have done so at institutions like The London School of Economics (LSE), South Bank University, University College London, The British Film Institute, University of Kent, University of West England, LGBT mental health organization PACE amongst many others. After moving to Sweden, I have done similarly at institutions like ABF, Karolinska Institut, Kulturhuset, Arbetsförmedlingen, Stockholm University amongst others. In the early 2000s I also designed and maintained online teaching materials during my time at the LSE as well as designed websites for other academic initiatives.

I have been employed as a consultant on matters to do with narrative and representation and have been a designer on a number of projects including at the Department of Game Design at Uppsala University, Sweden and as part of my own research and work practice (see, for example, Euphoria, a larp I co-designed as part of my current research project).

• My initial artistic background is in dance and live performance but I branched out into other mediums including music and film since 2004. My credits include acting, writing, producing and directing collaborative and solo projects on both large and small scales. This has led to a wide-ranging body of work that is multi-disciplinary in both content and medium. I have often combined my artistic and scholarly work not least because I believe the two inform each other on many significant levels. This has meant that I have often performed at scholarly conferences as well as presented papers there.
• Notable examples of my work on the stage include a series of solo shows on themes of sex, gender and sexualities, which I have performed for many years for both entertainment and education. Some of this work is documented in Eliza Steinbock’s (2015) chapter “Disfiguration On Violence and Negative Art” and in Christine Erharter et al’s edited collection Pink Labor on Golden Streets: Queer Art Practices. Other notable stage appearances include a role written for me in Suzanne Osten’s feminist reworking of Glada Änkan at the Folkoperan from September 2008 to January 2009.
• Notable film credits include appearing in Zemirah Moffat’s documentary ethnography of queer performance Mirror Mirror (2006), which was analysed in Sarah Pink’s book Doing Visual Ethnography (2007). The film The Lovers and Fighters Convention (2009) documents a show that I directed and appeared in during the Transfabulous festival in the UK. And Dyke Hard (2015) is an award-winning Swedish queer feature film. I am producing a new film project, "Paradise," currently (2024) in the development phase with script written by Kjell Hedgaard Hugaas and funded in part by Film Gotland.
• I am also a visual artist, which like my performance work takes as its subject themes of sex, gender and sexualities. A two-page comic examining queer resilience in everyday life appears in Ottar (issue 3, 2019) and digital paintings of mine appear on the covers of lamda nordica (2019, 24:2-3) and lamda nordica (2020, 25:3-4) as well as in the book Trans Bodies, Ourselves (2022). You can view more of my art at  https://www.instagram.com/josephineabaird/

I co-host and edit "It Is Complicated," a podcast with Dr J in which we discuss a different personal, cultural and social issues each episode. The podcast can be listened to on all major podcast platforms and at http://www.itiscomplicated.me

I have been an activist for LGBTQ and disabilities rights since 2000 when I first worked for Stonewall Lobby group (2000 – 2001, and again 2002) and then Attitude is Everything (2003 – 2007), both in the UK. Since then I have worked with the likes of ILGA World, RFSL, RFSU, TGEU, ULOBA, ANSO, SFQ, Queer Beograd, Le Madame Poland, amongst many others. In my capacity as an activist, I have presented and spoken on the topics of LGBTQ issues in front of parliamentarians, social service providers, media, and fellow activists in any number of arenas and occasions over the last 20 years.