The Cambridge Union has released its term card for Michaelmas 2023. It boasts sixteen standalone speakers.

The Chamber is set to welcome Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright and current Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle, alongside American political commentator Ben Shapiro.

Shapiro, a prominent American Republican, has often met with controversy. His opinions include a blanket ban on abortion, support for the death penalty and the classification of transgender individuals as mentally ill. In Michaelmas 2022, the Union term card included the anti-transgender activist Dr Kathleen Stock, whose appearance was protested by students.

Other speakers include activists such as Jojo Mehta, who joins the term card in collaboration with the Cambridge Climate Society. Mehta is the Executive Director of Stop Ecocide International, an environmental organisation dedicated to classifying ecocide as an international crime. Also speaking this term is human rights advocate and lawyer Stella Assange.

Previous Union term cards have placed particular emphasis on spotlighting the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and in Michaelmas the society will host Russian punk rock activist Olga Borisova. Borisova has been praised for her courage in critiquing Putin’s regime, and advocating for greater freedom of expression in Russia.

The rest of the Union’s lineup offers debates on current affairs, such as the government’s ongoing attempts to tighten protest laws, and the threat posed by artificial intelligence, as well as motions which address the more philosophical questions of universal morality and the importance of respecting your elders.

President Charlie Palmer said in an interview with Varsity that the Union should not seek to encourage “controversy for controversy’s sake,” but should remain committed to its promotion of free speech.

The term card welcomes workshops hosted by drag queen and rapper Tayce, along with trans activist and journalist India Willoughby, both of whom are fierce advocates for LGBTQ+ rights.

Also set to appear this term are internet personality Millie B (whose rap went viral on TikTok in 2020), chef Tom Aiken, and the UK’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Barbara Woodward, to name a few.

Michaelmas will see the continuation of many of the Union’s most popular social events, such as Jazz After Dark, and sporting activities like Zumba.

The Union is currently offering students the chance to purchase a lifetime membership, usually worth £230, for a discounted price of £190. This offer is available until 13th October.