TRANSGENDER INCLUSION MOTION

2011/2012
COUNCIL
Due to lapse in 2015

1. Council Notes
That 47.3% of trans* students at University in the UK have been treated in a negative
way because they are trans*, and 28.5% of trans* students take time out from their
course, a figure higher than the national average.

That many trans* students face harassment, discrimination, and exclusion and do not
feel they have the support they deserve.

That many trans* students are discouraged from going to classes because staff
members are sometimes not knowledgable about trans issues and this can have a
detrimental affect on their academic experience.

That facilities and situations such as accommodation, changing rooms, restrooms, and
any other facilities which are designed for segregating men and women are sometimes
inaccessible to some trans* people, and this is indirect discrimination.

That under the Equality Act 2010, ‘Part 11, Ch.1, s.149: The Public Sector Equality Duty’,
public sectors are required under legislation to:

(a) remove or minimise disadvantages suffered by persons who share a relevant protected
characteristic that are connected to that characteristic;

(b) take steps to meet the needs of persons who share a relevant protected characteristic
that are different from the needs of persons who do not share it;

(c) encourage persons who share a relevant protected characteristic to participate in public
life or in any other activity in which participation by such persons is disproportionately low.

That the Equal Opportunities Committee and the subsequent LGBT Officer are an asset
to this University’s LGBT inclusion and have the ability to press for changes within AUSA
and the University itself.

2. Council Believes

That every student has the right to an inclusive, safe environment at University both
academically and socially regardless of their gender identity or expression.

That AUSA should uphold the legislation written in the Equalities Act 2010 and actively
encourage and make changes for more inclusive and accessible facilities or
environments for trans* students.

That the NUS LGBT Campaign has a lot of information that will be useful to pass on to
the relevant people and are an excellent tool in the fight for trans* equality.

That education is the key to defeating ignorance and exclusion for minority groups.
3. Council Resolves

That the Equal Opportunities Committee and the LGBT Officer should actively seek
alternative provisions for transgender students in the areas of accommodation, changing
facilities, toilets, and initiate a dialogue with the University to offer the alternative of a
gender neutral option where available.

That the Executive Committees within AUSA receive some basic training or materials on
inclusivity, diversity and discrimination for trans* students, which can be provided by the
NUS LGBT Campaign OR the LGBT Officer OR, where available, the Trans* Rep on the
University’s LGBT Society.

That the Equal Opportunities Committee and the LGBT Officer negotiate a dialogue with
the University for inclusivity training for staff members, which again can be provided by
the NUS LGBT Campaign OR the LGBT Officer OR, where available, the Trans* Rep on
the University’s LGBT Society.