Committee

Report
24 – 26 April 2009
Nottingham Britannia
Hotel, Nottingham

CD5

If you need this document

in another format contact
NUS on 0871 221 8221 or
email events@nus.org.uk
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NUS LGBT Campaign

COMMITTEE REPORT FOR NUS LGBT CONFERENCE 2009

NUS LGBT Committee and Summer Training

Back in April, at NUS LGBT Conference 2008 in Nottingham, the NUS LGBT
Committee were elected, along with the NUS LGBT Officers. The Committee for
2008/9 are:

Open Place – Alan Bailey, University of Salford

Open Place – Rich Doughty, University of Essex
Open Place – Wes Morrison, University of Warwick
Women’s Place – Vicki Baars, Leeds Metropolitan University
Women’s Place – Jen Daffin, Lancaster University
Women’s Place – Laura Poultney, University of Bath
Bisexual Students’ Representative – Sophia James, University of Leeds
Black Students’ Representative – Mas Naina, SOAS, University of London
Disabled Students’ Representative – Emily Bowyer, Newman University College
Further Education Representative – Sarah Burton, Castle College Nottingham
Trans Students’ Representative – Harri Weeks, University of Manchester

The committee also has voting places for the three NUS LGBT Officers from the
special nations. They are:

NUS Scotland LGBT Officer – Tom French, Edinburgh University

NUS Wales LGBT Officer – Kay Barnes, Trinity Carmarthen College, University of
Wales
NUS USI LGBT Officer – Chris Geddis

To support and empower the committee, the Campaign ran a three day committee
training course in July. The content not only included the training of the committee
in their roles and responsibilities, but also included safeguarding training and
planning of campaigns and areas of work for the coming year. The committee have
used what they learned at the committee training we provided in the summer
develop and run workshops at both the activist training days and at students’
unions, with great feedback from LGBT societies and union officers.

The two priority areas of work were decided to be; Access to Healthcare and
Education for LGBT students. Since training the new Committee have been involved
in gathering as many regional LGBT society and LGBT officer contacts as possible.
They have also been very involved in planning our priority campaigns. In addition
to this, this year the Campaign attended over 25 freshers’ fairs, assisting local LGBT
societies at their busiest time of the year and helping students set up new LGBT
societies.

This year the Campaign has held six meetings of the NUS LGBT Committee:
16th July at NUS headquarters, London
11th August, Leeds Metropolitan Students’ Union
20th September at Salford University Students’ Union
8th November at University of Birmingham Guild of Students
9th January at NUS headquarters, London

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19th March at Coventry University Students’ Union

In addition to this the Campaign attended many NUS summer training events this
year, meeting and helping to train students’ union officers from across the UK. At
“Developing Your Members” the Campaign ran an “Out in Sport” workshop around
LGBT inclusion in university sports activities. Liberation 2008 was a great success
this year, with the Campaign delivering workshops on LGBT issues in institutions and
students’ union to over 70 students’ union officers.

LGBT Access to Healthcare

One of this year’s priority areas of work for the Campaign is access to healthcare for
LGBT students. This issue has come to light in the past year, after studies such as
the Stonewall lesbian health survey have shown shocking findings about both direct
discrimination and lack of knowledge about LGBT identities in the health service. The
campaign hopes to address this imbalance within the health service, making it more
LGBT friendly and accessible.

The campaign has recognised that one of the best ways to campaign on this issue is
by involving the expertise and experience of key stakeholders. The campaign
therefore worked hard to create an ‘LGBT Healthcare Manifesto’ which was launched
in March, detailing 10 demands for a more LGBT inclusive manifesto. This attracted
the support of the Terrence Higgins Trust, Stonewall and Unison, and will form the
basis of the work we do on healthcare issues for the rest of the year and beyond.

An issue that came out of almost all of the health related policy was the training of
junior doctors on sexuality and gender identity issues, often resulting in
discriminatory behaviour, inappropriate treatment being given, or some treatment,
such as STI testing for lesbian and bisexual women, being refused. The general
medical council (GMC) issues guidance on what should be included in undergraduate
medical curriculum, and is currently reviewing its guidance.

The campaign has been lobbying the GMC calling for an LGBT friendly curriculum,
and to make sure that training on LGBT issues are considered in the review.

The Campaign has also been working with Broken Rainbow, an LGBT domestic
violence service, in putting together a research project on LGBT student domestic
violence. This is a great opportunity for the Campaign to be leaders in this area, as
there is no current data in this area. The project will gain vital insight into the
actual situation for LGBT students suffering domestic violence. Unfortunately,
Broken Rainbow is still waiting for the sign off of important funding to enable us to
launch the project.

The Campaign has continued to work with the NUS Welfare Zone on the sexual
health coalition, this year focussing on Trans sexual health, sex and relationship
education (SRE) and sexual health provision in further education colleges.

Education for LGBT Students

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The second of the Campaign’s priority areas of work for this year has been work
around an LGBT-inclusive education system. This has included; Financial Access,
Course Environment and LGBT Representation.

Within Financial Access, the Campaign has published its Estrangement Report,
looking into the experiences of estranged students applying for financial help in the
UK. The report details recommendations for the UK Student Loans Company (SLC)
and Nia Griffiths MP tabled an Early Day Motion to parliament in June (EDM 1631),
calling for the recommendations of the report to be put into practice. The Campaign
mobilised hundreds of students to lobby their local MPs to sign the EDM with the aim
that a high number of signatures will aid us in lobbying the Department of
Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and the SLC to make changes to the
estrangement funding process.

Following our efforts, the Student Loans Company (SLC) have pledged that all case
workers dealing with HE financial support applications over the phone will have
mandatory training in estrangement issues.

Also within this area of the campaign we have engaged with NUS’ ‘Broke and
Broken’ campaign and made a submission to the Alternative Funding Model for
Higher Education, ensuring LGBT students had a voice. The campaign has also taken
part in the demonstration for Free Education in February 2009, with a strong
organised presence of LGBT students.

Within the Course Environment area of the campaign during LGBT History
Month we initiated a workshop tour titled “Liberating the Curriculum”. It
focused on the history of LGBT people and how LGBT people and themes are
represented within education now, and how things can be made better.
The campaign will be working with the NUS FE and HE zones to develop this
project further.

Within the LGBT Representation area of the campaign we have delivered

workshops at the NUS LGBT Activist Training Days on running in students’
union elections. The Campaign has also fed into the work that IGLYO
(International LGBTQ Youth and Students’ Organisation) has been doing
within education systems across Europe, attended the Higher Education
Funding Summit in September and has met with Kevin Brennan MP
(Department of Children, Schools and Families).

Activist Training Days

In November, the Campaign ran its second Annual Activist Training Days, which tied
in with our commitment to the training and developing of LGBT activists for a
stronger campaign.

South – University of the West of England, Friday 14th November

London – Birkbeck, Monday 17th November
Midlands and East – Birmingham University, Tuesday 25th November
North – University of Manchester, Tuesday 18th November
Wales – Newport University, Thursday 13th November
Scotland – Edinburgh University, Saturday 29th November

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The Activist Training Days were a great success with just over 250 activists
attending over the 6 days. This year also saw an increase in the number of
delegates attending from Further Education as well the NUS LGBT Committee taking
more of an active role in the planning and running of the days.

As well as presenting the campaigns priorities for the year, the days also gave
delegates a chance to learn how to campaign, and attend workshops run by LGBT
committee on a variety of different issues. New for this year, action learning sets
allowed delegates to talk to each other about issues in their own institutions and
how to solve them.

We have received some great feedback so far and have even begun to think about
how the activist days can be improved upon even further!

NUS LGBT Reform

This year the Campaign has undertaken full review of its democratic structures, as
policy from this year’s NUS LGBT Conference instructed. This has involved
extensive consultation of our members and a reworking and adaptation of our
standing orders. The Campaign has been working on its strategy for this process all
year, along with an elected its LGBT Reform Committee that helped to steer the
Reform process:

They are:

Daf Adley, NUS LGBT Officer (Open Place)

Lucy Brookes, NUS LGBT Officer (Women’s Place)
Vicki Baars, NUS LGBT Committee
Mas Naina, NUS LGBT Committee
Rowan Bevan, University College London
Phillipe Chiarella, London Metropolitan University
Matt Wildman, University of Nottingham
Sarah Burton, Castle College Nottingham
Rob Tidy, University of Manchester

The reform committee met three times over the course of the reform process, to
plan the process and collate responses to the consultation, as well as draw together
appropriate results to present to conference 2009.

The reform process consulted with over 70 LGBT students in face to face
consultation at the activist training days, and just under 200 LGBT students through
an online survey. The results of this reform process will be presented, discussed
and debated at NUS LGBT Conference 2009.

Love Without Borders

The NUS LGBT Campaign continued with this priority campaign from last year, and
the main focus of the Love Without Borders work this year has been around LGBT
asylum seekers. This year the Campaign has supported Davis Mac-Iyalla (a Nigerian

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gay asylum seeker) who was successful in his most recent asylum claim. The
Campaign has also worked with Kizza Musinguzi, a gay asylum seeker from Uganda,
and is supporting him in his campaign to remain in safety in the UK.

In early October, the NUS LGBT Campaign and Gay Rights Uganda held a demo
outside the Ugandan Embassy to protest at the unfair treatment of LGBT people in
Uganda and LGBT Ugandans seeking asylum. Around 60 people attended the demo,
and we succeeded in gaining a lot of support and attention from both the LGBT and
student media. We have continued to work with Kizza on his asylum case,
advertising his petition on our website and helping him gain hundreds of new
signatures.

The Campaign attended an international IGLYO conference that specifically worked

on developing effective strategies in combating homophobia. This enabled the
Campaign to learn more about strategic planning but also develop our international
networks. NUS LGBT has also fed into the broader education work that IGLYO will
be carrying out over the next two years.

The Campaign co-organised the Love.Europe.Right project with the British Youth
Council and Kampania Przeciw Homofobii (Campaign Against Homophobia in
Poland), a UK/Poland exchange programme. NUS LGBT activists recently went over
to Poland and have planned work around a new EU directive and combating
homophobia in Poland. The Campaign also supported a demonstration in Cardiff to
protest the deportation of Babi Badalov, a gay Azerbaijani asylum seeker.

LGBT History Month

February was LGBT History Month, and the campaign saw our committee and
officers attending more of your events than ever before. We launched an online
briefing, detailing how students’ unions and LGBT groups could get involved in LGBT
history month, as well as providing you with ideas for events.

The campaign initiated a “Liberating the Curriculum” workshop tour at during this
month as a way of getting LGBT groups thinking about LGBT history. This workshop
tour is ongoing.

The campaign did a joint project with the NUS Women’s Campaign on ‘Women of
LGBT History Month’, producing an online briefing on having a women-inclusive
history month and launching this at NUS Women’s Conference.

NUS LGBT in the Media

In September the Campaign, in collaboration with the Pink Paper, produced a 12

page pull-out section of the Pink Paper which included information about the NUS
LGBT Campaign, financial advice for students, sexual health guidance and
information about the importance of joining and getting involved in LGBT societies.
150,000 copies were distributed to gay venues and LGBT societies across the UK.
We have continued our positive relationship with the Pink Paper, and the campaign
has featured several times this year.

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The campaign has worked with Stonewall on their annual recruitment guide, for the
first time securing an editorial page at the front of the guide.

The Campaign featured on Chorley FM’s “Breakout LGBT” radio show, the only LGBT
community radio show in the North. It provided a chance to showcase our work to a
non-traditional audience.

The Campaign also featured in the Metro newspaper education supplement in

September, promoting the Campaign’s work and also the importance of joining LGBT
societies. This was distributed to millions across the UK.

The campaign has worked with Stonewall on a publication for LGBT graduates,
securing 6 pages of articles about the importance of LGBT campaigning and societies
on campus, and publicising National Student Pride.

Our work with the media is ongoing and we are always trying to get our Campaign
and its messages out there. We have recently been involved in discussions with
other media groups about the possibility of securing regular columns for the
Campaign in various magazines.

Pride Festivals

This year the Campaign has taken an actively political approach to Pride events,
starting back in May with the alternative “Pride is a Protest” march held in
Birmingham. The aim of this demonstration was to take Pride back to its roots and
march for LGBT liberation, in a climate where the local “Pride party” has become
highly commercialised and market-driven.

In June we organised with the London LGBT Student Network (LLSN), the British
Youth Council and Polish LGBT activists from Kampania Przeciw Homofobii
(Campaign against Homophobia) at the Pride London march. The latter participants
being part of the Love.Europe.Right project, a UK/Poland exchange programme.

In August the NUS LGBT Campaign marched alongside the University of Manchester
Students’ Union LGBT society in the Manchester Pride march under the banner of
“Students For Equality”.
This summer the Campaign has also had a presence at Brighton Pride, UK Black
Pride, and the first ever Stoke Pride.

National Student Pride 2009

This year the Campaign has worked in association with Student Pride which was held
in Brighton on March 7th. The main role the campaign has had is advertising
information about the event to members, and organising press for the event.

Donation Not Discrimination

The Donation Not Discrimination priority campaign has gathered thousands of

signatures over the last two years in support of lifting the ban on gay and bisexual

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men from donating blood in the UK. Recently we have seen a success in the
Anthony Nolan Trust (bone marrow donation organisation) allowing gay and bisexual
men to donate bone marrow. This will hopefully lead to a change in the National
Blood Service’s discriminatory policy.

The campaign has been actively engaging with LGBT groups who have continued to
campaign when the blood service come onto campuses, as well as welcoming
Stonewalls decision to oppose the ban.

Bullying Sucks

The Bullying Sucks priority campaign has seen many students’ unions and
institutions include homophobic and transphobic bullying within their anti-bullying
policies. The Campaign this year continued the Bullying Sucks campaign, but in a
different direction.

The campaign has been working with Beat Bullying and the welfare zone on a cyber
mentoring scheme of young people working with LGBT people suffering cyber
bullying.

The campaign has been supporting students union’s across the country in their own
projects around homophobia in halls of residences.

Research

This year the Equality Challenge Unit (ECU) this year undertook groundbreaking
research into the experiences of LGBT students and staff in within higher education.
The Campaign sat on the steering/advisory group for this project and has engaged
in the development of a survey that formed the bulk of the research, as well as
assisting with the draft of the final report and attending the launch of the research.

This results found from this research will prove invaluable to the Campaign’s future
work.

Bisexual Students

The Campaign attended BiCon in August, the annual bisexual community

conference. There the Campaign made links with the wider bisexual community, as
well as bisexual organisaitons from across the UK. The Campaign has also appeared
in Bi Community News, the only bisexual publication in the UK, to talk about
bisexual students within the Campaign, and to show NUS LGBT’s work on bisexual
inclusion

The campaign has provided support and guidance on how LGBT societies can
become more bi-friendly, and has published an online resource for the “Under
Construction” series.

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Black Students

It has been a very busy year for Black LGBT students. As soon as the year started
we immediately got to work, supporting UK Black Pride, the only Black Pride event
in the world, . There was a very good turnout of students at the event, and a special
student rate ticket issued for the first time which we welcomed. We have organised
very successful events highlighting the struggles of Muslim LGBT students, and have
continued to work with Imaan, the Muslim LGBT organisation on this.

Sadly, Black students are still greatly underrepresented in LGBT societies across the
country. To combat this we have developed a workshop on Black LGBT inclusion in
your LGBT society which will be offered to all conference delegates this year.
Hopefully this will LGBT societies the insight and tools they need to make their LGBT
society more inclusive and vibrant. As well as this national training, we have also
been involved in working with the LGBT reps from the Black Students Campaign on
a Black LGBT day conference, and hope to continue cross-liberation campaigns.

Most importantly, this year we have been active on you campuses as well as running
the national events. To name but a few of the things we've been doing, we have
spoken at various African and Caribbean society events on homosexuality in the
Afro-Caribbean Community, delivered workshops on Black LGBT inclusion,
encouraged Black LGBT students to become more involved in their LGBT societies,
to celebrating the first Black Lesbian university football team who we have been
working closely with

Following the success of LMHR (LoveMusicHateRacism) gigs which the Black

Students Campaign has been a great supporter of, we are pleased to be launching
LMHH (LoveMusicHateHomophobia) gigs to encourage more LGBT students to get
involved in anti fascist campaigning, as well as using music as a means to
communicate to ordinary students about combatting trans, bi and homophobia in
society.

Disabled Students

The Campaign has engaged with the NUS Disabled Students’ Campaign, attending
its committee meetings in order to support and inform our work and its campaigns.
Representatives from the campaign also attended disabled students conference
2009. The campaign is also writing the under construction: disabled students guide.

Further Education Students

This year the Campaign started the Putting the LGBT into FE programme with a
training day for LGBT activists to go into FE colleges and start or reinvigorate LGBT
societies. This programme also included an in-depth online resource. As a result of
the work we have done in this area, we have seen an increase in FE participation at
our events and in our campaigning work.

The campaign has actively engaged with the NUS FE zone this year, sitting on its
committee and delivering workshops at its campaign launch.

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Trans students

The Campaign has attended the second annual Trans Community conference in
London, attending expert sessions on trans sexual health and body positivity, and
trans youth and family issues. Through these events we have built our links with
trans organisations and the wider trans community.

The campaign helped to produce, launch and distribute a report on trans inclusion
within post-16 education through the Forum on Sexual Orientation and Gender
Identity. The Campaign has also produced a briefing for trans students within
accommodation, aimed specifically at universities, but also students’ union officers
and staff, and LGBT societies into acquiring trans-safe accommodation within their
institutions. Text from this briefing will be used in a new student accommodation
providers handbook, produced by the Equality Challenge Unit.

The campaign has worked with trans organisations lobbying for positive legislative
change for all trans students (not just transsexual students) and continued to
support LGBT societies in becoming trans-inclusive and accessible, and trans
students who encounter transphobia within their institutions and students’ unions.

Other Projects

The Campaign passes a huge amount of policy each year and there are a lot of
areas that might not fit into our greatest priorities of work, but will still be worked
on by the Campaign in various forms. These include, but are not limited to; the
diversity of identities within our community (We’re LGBT Too), training for students’
union staff, pink parents/families and equal marriage. The Donation Not
Discrimination and Bullying Sucks campaigns’ materials are still available to
download online and we are still supporting students’ unions in delivering these
campaigns on their campuses.

Daf Adley Lucy Brookes

NUS LGBT Officer (Open Place) NUS LGBT Officer (Women’s Place)

& the NUS LGBT Committee

Alan Bailey, Rich Doughty, Wes Morrison, Vicki Baars, Jen Daffin, Laura Poultney,
Sophia James, Mas Naina, Em Bowyer, Sarah Burton & Harri Weeks

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