Thought I'd let u all know what the Assembly has been up2 and the cracking progress it has made in both LUU & the University!
It's not been an easy task cos all the odd's have been stacked against me, but determination has paid off & we've got something going which is gr8! Thanks 2 Joey for all the support and everything u've done with the assembly, Dom for massively contributing 2 the booklet, Roz for proof reading everything n sticking up 4 LGBT in worst of times in UC Meetings & Ben W for all the stuff concerning being LGBT and disabled.
Anyway enough of the slushyness, here's what the assembly has achieved 4 LGBT Students this year (i.e. YOU!)
· Improved relations with the student media, this includes a radio interview with LSRfm.com about bisexuality, articles being published in Leeds Student and the student media seeking opinions and advice about all pieces produced about LGBT issues, from the assembly. · Provision of information about LGBT issues, advice and contacts for Nightline. · Production of a booklet about LGBT issues, which has been distributed around LUU and the University. · Increased awareness in LUU and the University about LGBT issues and how they affect LGBT students. · Prompted the Vice-Chancellor and Universities Equality & Diversity Committee to educate and train ALL University staff about LGBT issues and how to deal with them. · Strengthened relationship with Student Advice Centre, who can provide specialist support and help concerning unfair assessments made by LEA’s in the cases of LGBT students who are judged on their parents’ income, but unsupported by their parents due to disownment etc. · Raised awareness of discrimination LGBT people face in halls with Accommodation Services and have worked with them on a poster campaign to be launched about the issue. · Produced guidelines for research students, in relation to questionnaires and LGBT students. Such as avoidance of basing questionnaires around stereotypes. · Successfully advocated on behalf of LGBT students to lecturers who have made discriminatory comments about LGBT issues and resolved the problem, providing feedback to all parties throughout. · Successful advocating and resolution of comments/complaints about problems with discrimination within LUU and the University. · Worked with the Education Assembly and Education Officer on the ‘Mark My Words’ campaign for anonymous and second marking on all exams, essays, coursework etc, to be introduced throughout ALL departments in the University. To provide representation of LGBT students within the campaign. · Production of informative posters, providing a range of information such as how to report hate crime, where to go if you’re experiencing discrimination in halls of residence, the advice and support the Student Advice Centre provide in relation to LGBT students and hunting down a timeline of LGBT history to put on display. (See the wall where the LGBT office is). · Successful lobbying of the Union to provide dental dams, to promote safer sex between women. (They are contained in the Women’s Officer drawer in the LGBT office). · Arranging for the Student Advice Centre to book the LGBT Societies Men’s, Women’s & Trans officers and the next Assembly Chair, onto a hate crime reporting training course, as to make hate crime reporting more accessible for LGBT Students. (this will be following the AGM) · Pushing for Central Student Administration to include information for Trans students about how to change personal details such as their gender, in the taught students handbook. Therefore making important information more accessible for Trans students.
As you can see, the Assembly does a lot of work and has achieved a lot. So far this year it has only been one or two people running around, which has achieved all of this. Unfortunately we can’t do everything (need time to sleep) and we need more people to get involved so that we can run campaigns and workshops etc.
The Assembly doesn’t require tonnes of commitment or signing up! If you want to be a part of the Assembly, all you have to do is contribute or help, such as writing an article to go in Leeds Student if you feel passionately enough about any LGBT issues that affect you (send it to the Assembly, to send it from their e-mail account, therefore providing a safe place to receive comments and feedback), if there’s an issue within the Union affecting you, write a motion to go to Union Council and pass it on to the Assembly Chair, help make informative posters, bring forward suggestions about how to improve things in the University/LUU, plan and help run a campaign about an issue which you feel passionately about. The Assembly is a direct link between you and the Union, which is very influential and can effect change in both LUU and the University. The more people get involved the more we can achieve and step closer to LGBT students learning/living in a fully accepting student community & University. - Working with the University & Union as part of the Ellis campaign, and lobbying the Union to include all minorities offended by the comments within it's press statements, to address homophobia & sexism, in addition to racism.
If you want to get involved with the Assembly or produce anything such as the things listed above for the Assembly to use, then don’t hesitate to get in contact with us at:
lgbt.assembly@leeds.ac.uk
Working for the equality of ALL LGBT students in LUU
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Nic - Union Council LGBT Assembly Chair
Contact me at - lgbt.assembly@leeds.ac.uk / nicturner_85@hotmail.com
Well done, Nic. We've read a few times already how much work you and two more people have done this year. However, I've not seen/heard a single assembly meeting advertised since before Christmas. Joe, Dom and you live in the same house and therefore can work at your own discretion in your own time, but how are we, the rest of LGBT students, supposed to find out how, and most importantly, WHERE and WHEN we can get involved if no meetings are announced?
I don't like having to read all the bits meant to make people feel guilty about not getting involved when we've not been offered a chance to get involved in the last 3 months!
Sorry to sound moody.
Have a nice Easter! (Nic and everyone else reading this.)
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'I've discovered the secret of life. A lot of hard work, a lot of sense of humor, a lot of joy and a whole lot of tra la la.' Kay Thompson
Thats fair n fine Alby. The meetings became hard to organise due to a weekly work rota, and the fact that dwindling numbers kept turning up, also cos nothing productive was coming out of them. Generally, any serious talk soon went off track and people couldn't be arsed with it.
However there have been opportunities to get involved with it all year, I've constantly asked for help, asked ppl if they'd like to do things such as write articles for the paper, get involved with the booklet etc. These requests have been put on the forum, have been mentioned in coffee hours and were supposed to go out in e-mails, which after sending to the society e-mail account, were never sent out.
I've not ignored people and I've been asking people for help etc all year and trying to get as much information across as possible as well as speak to people etc. My contact details have been up all year and everyone knows you can generally contact me at anytime either by e-mail or text... nobody has bothered to though. It's hardly like I've been making getting involved difficult. I've been giving opportuniteis and asking, but getting no help. Joey & Dom have been collared into lots of the assembly stuff cos they live with me... the booklet stuff, well they saw me writing it at home n asking them if they thought it were ok etc.
Ben W on the other hand has been involved by e-mailing/texting/speaking to me, asking what he could do to help and going off and doing it. If he can do it, whats stopping others? Its not like I tell people who are wanting to get involved to **** off. I tell most people whats going off and ask for help, but I'm often met with excuses why they can't get involved.
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Nic - Union Council LGBT Assembly Chair
Contact me at - lgbt.assembly@leeds.ac.uk / nicturner_85@hotmail.com
- Running a hate-crime workshop to inform LGBT students about hate crime and why it is important to report it. Training the Society Committee in hate crime reporting and use of multi-agency reporting forms. All of this is with the aim of setting up a 'tell a friend scheme' where LGBT students can approach a friend (either assembly chair or committee member) if they have been a victim of hate crime and easily access reporting facilities.
- Lobbying Parliament & Local MP's to ensure that money for Sexual Health provisions is spent on providing Sexual Health Services in the area, cutting down waiting times to get appointments at GUM clinics and providing a compulsary and more inclusive curriculum for P.S.E teaching in schools, covering Sexual Health and relationships.
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Nic - Union Council LGBT Assembly Chair
Contact me at - lgbt.assembly@leeds.ac.uk / nicturner_85@hotmail.com
