Monday 16-11-2020 - 07:00

This week is EHSU Transgender Week where we celebrate all the members of our trans community and every student that falls within the transgender umbrella.

 

Transgender week is not only important for celebrating the community but also bringing representation and education to the teaching and student population at Edge Hill, aligning nicely with the #EHSUMakeADifference campaign we are currently running at the Students’ Union.

 

The question behind all our campaigning work remains the same: what actions and cultural changes can we put in place in order to improve the experiences of trans students at Edge Hill?

 

For many students, societies are an important aspect when reflecting on their university experience. Whether it’s a society based around education or recreation, every society will have transgender and LGBTQ+ members and so making sure societies are aware of the issues facing the community is crucial to avoid common issues such as deadnaming and misgendering.

 

 

But what can you do as a society committee to be more inclusive for the community?

 

• When a new member joins your society, try asking for their preferred name and pronouns in a non-confrontational way. This action in itself should make people feel more comfortable.

 

• Don’t be afraid to challenge people who don’t respect other people’s preferred names or pronouns. People make mistakes and you should never criticise them for this but if it becomes apparent that it’s more than a mistake, don’t be afraid to report that member to the Students’ Union. Everyone deserves to feel safe in your society.

 

• As a society, why not add a “Equality and Diversity Officer” into your society committee whose job it is to make sure everyone is happy in the society and make it clear that everyone can come to this person for help if they need it.

 

• During awareness weeks, why not run a session tailored towards the LGBTQ+ community? Last year the KPop ran a “Gay Pop” session and the Werewolf+ society ran a LGBTQ+ themed game of werewolf for pride week.

 

 

 

What are societies currently doing?

 

The Werewolf+ society uses discord to run virtual sessions and one of the features they have implemented is the ability to be able to add a ‘role’ to your account while on their server which displays your pronouns next to your name.

 

As a trans person, this makes me feel represented within the society and also indicates that the society is a safe space, something echoed by the society president JC Anderson who has stated that “Werewolf+ is a family where we look after each other and respect each other’s identities.”

 

Last year, as the president of the Harry Potter Society, we added a “Equality and Diversity Officer” and used many of the tips above which led to trans people telling us that they enjoyed coming to the society as it was clear they were welcome and well-represented.

 

 

 

Where can you find out more about the Transgender community?

 

As a Students’ Union, we are currently running a campaign called #EHSUMakeADifference which is dedicated to bringing awareness for the transgender community within the student and staff population.

 

Check out our campaign page if you’d like to learn more!