Northumbria Student Academic Journal

It is with great pleasure that we announce our special journal issue of 2026! Centring around themes of neurodivergent and queer identities, our authors shed light on the nuances of these under-researched areas, both individually and with how they intersect.

The Northumbria Student Academic Journal welcomed a range of submissions from February to March of this year to bring attention to the ever-changing policies, media representations, theoretical frameworks and lived experiences of these often-marginalised groups.

The five articles in this issue each offer unique perspectives on our neuroqueer theme. Jo McCormick proposes conducting queerness and neurodiversity research through the lens of Kimberlé Crenshaw’s Intersectionality Theory as opposed to the medical-versus-social models. Katy Stoman raises awareness of the potential negative impacts of the government SEND reforms affecting school children. Connor Smith reveals a profound autoethnographic account of masking, gender expression and fluid sexual identity. In terms of media representation, Tobias Radman discusses masking as a shared method of normativity across autism and sexuality in Heartbreak High and, Jane Inglis adds a thought-provoking analysis of Carmilla, the vampire novella, through a transfeminist perspective.

We are sincerely thankful for all our authors and their hard work to make this journal issue a reality. I would also like to give a special thanks to our peer reviewers, and editorial team members, namely Leah Maughan, Abby Hilton and Erin Stevens for all their help in the editorial process.

We hope you enjoy our special issue!

Līga Reimane, Editor-in-Chief