About us:

 

Daz Skubich and Ayden Brouwers are your Trans Student's Officers!

 

Terminology:

 

• Transgender - often shortened to “trans”, an umbrella term referring to anyone whose gender identity does not completely align with the one assigned to them at birth. For example, a person who was born with a vagina would be assigned female at birth, but may identify as a man, amongst other gender identities.
• Cisgender - often shortened to “cis”, this is the term for someone who fully identifies as the gender they were assigned at birth. For example, a person born with a penis who fully identifies as male would be cisgender.
• LGBTQ - the acronym for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer. Often including other letters such as I (intersex) and A (asexual and aromantic), this is used to refer to the wider community of people who do not self-identify as completely cisgender and heterosexual. A plus (+) is also sometimes used to extend the acronym to include additional identities outside of LGBT.
• Nonbinary - an umbrella term for gender identities that are not fully male or female. A person may identify as agender (without a gender), genderfluid (fluctuating between two or more genders) or another identity altogether. Some nonbinary people feel comfortable also defining themselves as transgender, while others do not.
• Queer - traditionally used as a slur against anyone who is not heterosexual, this word has become reclaimed by some within the community who now use it to self-identify as gay, bi, or another non-heterosexual orientation. This term should only be used by those who are LGBTQ, and should not be used to refer to others who may not feel comfortable with this word.
• Intersex - a term for people whose hormones, chromosomes or other sex characteristics don’t align with the male/female sex binary. Intersex people can be any gender.

 

Why don’t we use an asterisk (*) after trans?

 

The trans asterisk (i.e. trans* or trans* person) is used in some resources and is said to be more inclusive than the term trans or transgender alone. The trans campaign does not use the asterisk as trans without an asterisk is inclusive of all people whose gender is different to the one they were assigned at birth. The asterisk has also been used by some to include cisgender crossdressers, or to exclude trans women.

 

Why is there a trans students’ campaign?

 

At 2016 national conference the National Union of Students (NUS) overwhelmingly voted in favour of creating an autonomous campaign for trans students, working alongside the pre-existing LGBT+ campaign. Transgender and nonbinary students are often left behind in liberation campaigns, as the struggles we face are often different to those experienced by our LGBQ siblings. Working alongside the pre-existing LGBQ students campaign, we hope to campaign for the liberation of all students, regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation. For more information on the NUS’ national trans campaign, check out the website.

 

Resources:

• Action for Trans Health is the UK’s largest democratic campaign for liberated trans healthcare
• TMSA-UK is a community-lead Facebook group dedicated to providing 24/7 support for transmasculine individuals
• The LGBT Foundation is a Manchester-based centre providing sexual health advice, counselling, social groups and more
• Sparkle is a national charity working for the positive representation of trans people across the country, hosting regular events throughout the year
• TransForum MCR is a discussion and peer support group for trans and gender-variant people that meets monthly at the LGBT foundation.
• NUS LGBT is one of the liberation wings of the National Union of Students, lead by two elected officers
• Gendered intelligence is a non-profit community interest company widening the understanding of transgender people, specializing in supporting under 21s
• UK trans info is a charity and website bringing a variety of useful resources and information together for the use of trans and nonbinary people
• The LGBT Consortium is a collection of organisations and charities working to further LGBT liberation across the UK

Another useful resource is this doc we’ve compiled on where to get a free or cheap chest binder in the UK.
 

Links:

 

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We also have a secret Facebook group that you can join by filling out this form, where you can get involved with upcoming events and campaigns.