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• Provide menstruation products in all gender neutral toilets allowing students to feel safe, without having to individually ask for them, to improve the day to day life of trans, nonbinary and other queer students, as well as improving union club nights and events.
• Extending the Gender Expression Fund to societies, allowing queer students to feel less pressure when thinking about joining societies, for example, having a portable, temporary changing curtain to allow students to be in a changing area of their choice, without missing out on conversation.
• Increasing advertising for union spaces, especially those connected to community and liberation to allow all students to feel seen and safe in the union, and branching out this open access to societies linked with the LGBTQ+ community for their socials.

Vote Smash, Don't Pass.

Hiya, I’m Ash, a Transgender, Bisexual Student, so i know first hand how daunting being queer and asking for what you need is. That being said, I do understand that all aspects of the LGBTQ+ community have individual struggles, that when attempting to help sort them, are unnecessarily grouped together. I have been a Welfare Representative for a society in the LUU for the past year, and have built up some knowledge around helping out people when/if they feel overlooked.

Menstruation Products and Gender Neutral Toilets.

While the student union does a great job ensuring everyone feels safe and supported when using bathrooms, asking for or buying products, such as pads and tampons, from the union could make some students quite dysphoric.

• Providing these menstruation products in all gender neutral toilets can allow all students a safe and simpler way of access to these products without having to individually ask, or buy them in front of their student peers.
• This can improve the day to day life of trans, nonbinary and other queer students, as well as making club nights and union spaces feel more inclusive of everyone's needs.

Gender Expression Fund Expanded to Societies

The current Gender Expression Fund is a brilliant way of students feeling welcome and seen. However, from experience, some society expenses could be funded to ensure all students feel and know they have an equal place.

• Allowing societies to buy temporary curtains for changing allows queer students to be in the dressing section of their choice whilst giving them a screen of privacy to change, instead of having to remove themselves from conversations or the room in general.
• This could mean queer students dont limit what societies they become involved in because of the fear of no privacy and ensures easy student has an equal opportunity to gain the incredible experience of being in a society at LUU.

Union Spaces

As a general note, a lot of spaces in the union that are made for community and liberation aren't advertised as much as they should be. These spaces should feel like a home away from home, a chatting spot to talk about your community and a place to easily find help or start up a conversation to start a path of getting what each student needs.

• Using these spaces for more talks from LGBTQ+ scholars or past students, in both a less formal, open conversation setting and a talk to make notes for can increase not only the use of union spaces but increase how safe and seen students feel in them.
• Advertising to societies linked with the community and easy access to these spaces for weekly coffee meet ups or other similar ‘socials’ can extend knowledge of other students about all our amazing liberating societies as well as the union spaces and what they are designed to be for.

So, knowing how it feels to be looked over, or feel as if you’re asking too much because of being a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, Voting Smash, Not Pass, will ensure an easier conversation about whatever you as a student in the LGBTQ+ community feels necessary and important. I will work to make sure we are heard, safe and having fun! :)

Hey, I’m Tee! I am your LGBTQ+ Liberation Network Lead for 25/26, and I was your Trans Liberation co-lead 24. I helped curate the Engagement Leader roles, and I want to continue uplifting LGBTQIA+ voices. I just need your help to do so.

We need queer representation, and I want to enact change and make sure we’re truly included, not just a diversity statement. Institutional heteronormativity is still looming over us. I'm fed up with it, and I bet you are too. There are so many things I want to accomplish, but I need your input: What does an LGBTQ+ inclusive campus look and feel like to you? How would University policy look to you, and how do I ensure you’re fairly represented? These are all questions I’m battling with as I write this statement on why you should trust me with your #1 vote.

My campaign is so personal to me; I am so passionate about continuing with my role. Going forward, I will:

Protect preferred names:

• Stop outing trans students with the use of ‘legal names’ on registers, mailing lists and other internal systems.
• Beneficial for international and cisgender students with alternative names.
• I will work with the National Union of Students (NUS), which successfully helped Huddersfield University Union put pressure on the University to make systemic change.

Prioritisation of Gender Expression Funding:

• The Gender Expression Fund runs once a year, if the union secures funding for it. Trans, non-binary and intersex students can apply for money towards non-medical gender affirming care.
• I want this to run year-round and expand the services it can offer, such as a binder library, legal clinics, and gender-specific advice.
• I will work closely with the Gender Engagement Leader and Wellbeing and Liberation Student Executive to ensure that funding and resources are allocated responsibly.
• I am currently involved in promoting and advocating for the GEF, as a Liberation Network Leader.

Closeted or not, we all deserve the same level of support:

• You don’t need to come out to access support, but sometimes accessing support feels like coming out.
• I want to work with the Student Executive team to create a free, anonymous service that provides advice specifically for LGBTQ+ individuals, shaped by LGBTQ+ community input.

But overall, I need feedback based on lived experience. Queer input is the only way I can make the impact and change we desperately need. I have spoken to many LGBTQ+ students; you’ve all got the ideas, and I can continue having the connections necessary to implement this change. Currently, I don’t have access to formal LGBTQ+ based data, and I have no idea what is most challenging for us, which I plan to change. I want to create this data through queer-exclusive voluntary research, ensuring LGBTQ+ students are always considered at stage 1, not as an inclusive afterthought.

I am actively working on my commitments, and whether I am elected or not, I will continue to campaign within my role until the end of the academic year. I have been advocating for the Gender Expression Fund and have hosted events for LGBTQ+ students and allies. I like to share opportunities and host free, fun events for students so they can get the most out of their time at university, whilst contributing to our LiberateLUU initiative. I have attended the Better Forums and society-run events as a current Liberation Collective Lead, providing student perspective as I am genuinely passionate about making LGBTQ+ voices heard and included in conversations.

Follow my campaign on Instagram, @tee4lgbtq, to see how things come along over the next week!