I'm running for the role of Gender Engagement Leader to play crucial a part in making our university a safer, liberating space for students of all gender identities. I am running to make sure that every woman feels safe enough to study in the library until late at night and not have to worry about making it home. I am running to make sure that trans and gender queer students feel safe enough to use the bathroom on campus. I am running to make sure students feel they can access mental health support confidentially and effectively without worrying who will find out.
Women’s safety in sport and exercise at Uni of Leeds
I plan to rally for safer spaces for women in sports and exercise at University of Leeds. I find that the current gym space at The Edge can feel intimidating and overwhelming, particularly for those who are women, trans and/or queer. I hope to work with The Edge to come up with a way to make space exclusively for any woman to exercise, without the need to join a specific society or premium membership to do so. This includes but is not limited to women only swim sessions, studio hire, and classes.
Gender Neutral bathrooms and changing facilities
Additionally, I would like to create a gender-neutral policy for having open use bathrooms and changing rooms available in all schools and relevant facilities including The Edge and medical changing rooms in Worsley. Campus currently has very limited gender neutral facilities open to students, and many of the existing facilities are disabled bathrooms. It is often the case that students need to travel further to access these than gendered facilities, and the general upkeep of these bathrooms often lack. I would like to focus on making these more widely available across campus and ensuring any issues/out of order bathrooms are a priority to be fixed, in order to keep the level of accessibility campus wide.
I also aim to create more of the existing single cubicle bathrooms gender neutral, and steer away from the idea of using designated disabled bathrooms for this purpose. Trans and non-binary students deserve to have spaces where they feel safe, without needing to use a disabled bathroom. Transness is not a disability, and we need to make change to reflect this.
Removing barriers to formal name changes
I have previously supported a campaign to make deed polls more accessible to students, allowing transgender and non-binary students to make a formal name change in the university system. I would prioritise this work by creating a support drop in at LUU for students to get accurate information and support to make the name change process as simple and as fast as possible. This includes having access to staff who could support Deed Polls. Deed Polls are a legal document binding somebody to their name. This is a requirement to make any formal name changes on documents such as personal Identification and University Systems. Students would benefit from a support drop in based in LUU which can direct students to thoroughly checked legal assistance through LUU Advice and Legal Clinics.
Students have struggled to access the correct support and have significantly overpaid for solicitor input in name changes for years. Having access to a smoother name change process is crucial to decreasing the number of students being deadnamed and misgendered in classes and on Graduation certificates at our university. This is a project in collaboration with Tee as LGBTQ+ Engagement Leader, who has further information in their statement.
Creating a regulated space on campus for trans care
Along with pushing for gender neutral bathrooms and changing spaces, I also would like to create a space in LUU for trans students to have access to a sterile space to take medication, change tape, and other relevant gender affirming care. At the moment, there is no dedicated place for this to happen, which pushes students to use public bathrooms and unhygienic spaces, and home is not always a safe place for this to happen. I will work to provide a regularly cleaned room used exclusively for these students to have a private, safe space for their personal care.
As a female presenting queer student, I have experienced unfairness and ignorance to safety on campus. I want to feel like I am safe here, and I want that for the other 40,000 students that study here. Whether this be in the form of arranged groups for students to support each other, or a full redesign of our current support system. My goal with this role is to make LUU and the wider university community a more mindful place for us all.
