NUS Trans Conference & being trans at LJMU
This month we're celebrating LGBT history, culture and of course, LGBT students here at LJMU. We spoke to two students, Alec and Cat, who represented the trans community at LJMU at the NUS Trans Conference at Manchester Students' Union last month. This was a space for making policy, sharing skills, and meeting and collaborating with trans students across the UK. We spoke to them about the event, what it means to be trans at LJMU, and how cisgender students can support trans students.
Alec is our Trans Equality Rep here at JMSU and Cat is the Trans Rep for our LGBTQA+ Society, which you can find out more about here.
What was your experience of your first NUS Trans Conference like?
Alec: My first experience of the NUS Trans conference was one that will probably stay with me for a while for two reasons. One, it was unlike anything I imagined or expected would happen. The schedule was not stuck to and there where motions to change the schedule on the first day. It was very political but also friendly and a great environment for me as a Transgender individual, it was pleasant to be surrounded by others who are like me in this aspect. I have also never seen so many different hair colours in the same room before!
Cat: The conference was engaging and it was nice to see so many trans people in one room. Even in LGBT societies there are only ever a few of us. Obviously due to our shared experiences, most of us in the conference cared about similar things, but there were a couple of instances, notably on the topic of no-platforming fascists, where one or two disagreed with the consensus of the room. I believe in that case that they were voting against their own self-interests, but that’s the point of a conference like this. I made an argument for that motion and it seemed to be very well received despite a couple of verbal slips and the beginning and end, and even though it can be frustrating to hear people make points you have clear counters to, part of what makes the event special is the sheer passion of the people in the room, and our shared interest in making sure trans people are represented on the university level.
What were your highlights of the conference?
Alec: For me highlights included the variety of people I met and the acceptance within the group of people. It was also a highlight for me to watch and hear how others of the same community viewed the world around us, albeit many views be sad to hear.
Cat: The biggest highlight of the conference was meeting so many trans people from all over the country and having us all in one place. There’s never been a clearer sign to me that we’re not alone than seeing just how many of us there are, just as university representatives. Clearly, despite constant media smears and pushes by the far right and their allies, trans people are feeling safer and safer to come out and be themselves. It’s truly beautiful.
What has your experience been as a trans student at LJMU? What are the key things you’d like to be focussed on and improved?
Alec: Being a Transgender student in LJMU had had both its ups and downs. I have had the opportunity to do things and have a say in things that I possibly would not have been able to do had I not been a LJMU trans student, such as run and be elected as the Equality representative for trans students across the university and being able to attend the NUS Trans Conference. On the more difficult side of being a trans student at LJMU, I have not been able to join any sporting societies as these are often gendered, this is something I feel needs to be worked on for LJMU students, cis or trans. Furthermore, I have had issues with lectures misgendering me, this however was dealt with by the university very well and was not ill intended. Being only 5 months and 3 weeks on testosterone (HRT for FTM transgendered individuals) this is something I experience in everyday life, an experience I am glad to say is getting less and less the longer I’m on HRT. Overall, being a trans student is not much different to being a cis student, which is great!
Cat: For the most part my experiences as a trans student at LJMU have been positive. Changing my personal details with the university was pretty simple, I’ve made a lot of friends here, I’ve helped people with no experience of trans people before understand our issues more and hopefully see that we’re not the monsters certain newspapers claim we are. That being said, LJMU has hired explicitly transphobic lecturers in the last year, resources for trans students are hard to find (made doubly so by how little is on the university’s website and how hard the website is to navigate), and the lack of gender neutral toilets, especially when, in the James Parsons tower, the toilets are split by floor indicates that the university still has ways to go to being a truly welcoming place. That goes for many issues however. IM Marsh has huge problems with disabled access, and the university has very few people of colour, for example. Clearly everywhere has work to do to improve, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t highlight where the problems lie. Only then can we fix them.
In what ways can cisgender people support the trans community?
Alec: Get educated! This, in my opinion is the best start to supporting the trans community any cis individual can make. In doing this you will be in a better position to defend the transgender people in your lives and you will be less likely to inadvertently cause offence or harm. This leads to the question of how can I get educated? There are many ways you can do this; ask the trans people in your life for support in understanding, read up on transgender issues. Perhaps start with this.
Cat: There are loads of ways to support the trans community. Speaking out against transphobia is a big one, making it clear that hate speech isn’t welcome around you pushes these opinions out of the public eye and makes the world a safer place for trans people. Supporting trans and trans-friendly charities such as Mermaids and Stonewall, is always a good option, as well as looking to help trans people in need (search for #transcrowdfund on twitter and someone is usually in dire need of medical help). If you can, support trans voices in your communities and encourage them to speak up, the more people know, and know of, trans people, the more normalised we will become in society. If someone tells you their name and pronouns, please try and use them as instructed, it doesn’t take much energy to not be rude. In addition, most trans people are heavily reliant on medication, especially those undergoing medical transition, so one of the best things you can do for trans people is to support the NHS and parties that oppose its privatisation.
We are attending the LJMU Trans Pride March in Liverpool on Sunday 31st March. If you're interested in joining us, please email our Trans Rep Alec at transnonbinaryrep@ljmu.ac.uk.
