THEGAYUK

Tag: NUS

All the latest breaking news on NUS. Browse THEGAYUK’s complete collection of news, articles and commentary on NUS.

  • This student union apologises for the wrongful historic expulsion of safe sex pioneers

    This student union apologises for the wrongful historic expulsion of safe sex pioneers

    The University of Salford Student Union has apologised and offered lifetime membership to those who were expelled.

    Twenty-Five years after a collective of LGBT+ activists found themselves expelled from the University of Salford’s Student Union have apologised. Jeff Evans and Simon McGurk were accused of distributing offensive materials on campus, in the form of a graphic image within their annual Pink Guide. The Students’ Union has recently issued a formal apology to all the banned students and awarded them lifetime membership to the SU

    In that year’s guide, the collective had included a “graphic image” to illustrate safer sex. It was during the AIDS epidemic and the students were trying to educate on safer-sex practices. The aim of the Pink Guide was to educate new starting students about LGBT life in Greater Manchester.

    Despite the insistence from the Pink Collective that the image was vital to the dissemination of safer sex practices, the University of Salford Students’ Union upheld a distribution ban of the Pink Guide and expelled the students involved. T

    his image was obtained from Government-issued health information.

    By pure coincidence, a recent University of Salford Students’ Union Student Officer met a member of the Pink Collective at an external event. This former student, Jeff Evans, told the Student Officer his story and showed him the Pink Guide that led to the ban.

    The Students’ Union felt their actions in 1993 were discriminatory and not in line with the current values of the organisation. They invited Jeff and another Pink Collective member, Simon McGurk to campus and tell their story. This visit was documented alongside a visit to the Manchester Central Library Archives, to create a short film about the Pink Guide.

    The premiere of this film is taking place on Tuesday 20 August, between 5-6pm at the North Side, University House at the University of Salford, featuring a Q&A with Jeff and Simon. Everyone is welcome to the screening of this film, find out more here.

    Jeff and Simon have been working with the Students’ Union to create a new Pink Guide which will be available to Salford students during Welcome Week.

    Former Pink Collective and lifetime Students’ Union member, Jeff Evans said, “It is a shameful period in the past of the Students’ Union, and I am so pleased that the organisation has had the maturity to put their hand up and say, ‘this was wrong, and we want to try and make it right’.”

     

  • Stonewall Speaks Out On NUS LGBT+ Decision To Drop Gay Male Reps

    Britain’s largest LGBT charity Stonewall has spoken out against the NUS LGBT+ for its stance on gay male representation in the UK’s university system.

    CREDIT: © feedough | Depositphotos
    CREDIT: © feedough | Depositphotos

     

    Stonewall has spoken out against the NUS LGBT+’s decision to rid gay male representation from its societies across the UK University system. A statement from the charity said that the best way to achieve diversity was to proactively engage with all parts of the LGBT community rather than “excluding specific parts of the community.”

    NUS LGBT+ has come under considerable criticism after it said it would seek to eradicate gay male representation from its societies, after it claimed that “misogyny, transphobia, racism and biphobia were more likely to happen if societies were “dominated” by white cis gay men.”

    A claim it made without providing proof.

    Stonewall joined the growing concern about the NUS LGBT+ societies remit saying,

    “We believe that LGBT societies should represent the full diversity of the LGBT community, including the multiple minority identities that exist within it. Gay men experience homophobia and oppression daily, both inside and outside the LGBT community. This could be because they are of faith, or have a disability, or are part of an ethnic minority. They also continue to face discrimination in the workplace, at school, in church, in institutions, or on the sports field. The fight against homophobia isn’t over yet.

    “We think the best way to reflect diversity is to proactively engage with and encourage others to apply for positions on the board rather than excluding specific parts of the community.”

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    Last week another leading LGBTQ charity Push Projects in Warwickshire shared its concerns about the NHS LGBT+’s actions.

    TheGayUK reached out to NHS LGBT+ specifically for comment on its decisions but were directed to the NUS press office, who said,

    “All delegate who attend NUS LGBT+ conference are free to submit motions for discussion but they do not necessarily represent the views of NUS if at all.

     

  • Leading LGBTQ Charity “Shocked” Over NUS Decision To Ban Gay Male Reps

    A leading LGBTQ charity has blasted the NUS LGBT+ campaign’s decision to rid LGBT societies of gay male representatives.

    CREDIT: ©-pressmaster / Depositphotos.com
    CREDIT: ©-pressmaster / Depositphotos.com

    Gay male students in the UK’s University system are facing the prospect of not having a representative at their LGBT+ society after the NUS LGBT+ voted to abolish a reserved space for gay male reps after claiming that “misogyny, transphobia, racism and biphobia were more likely to happen if societies were “dominated” by white cis gay men.”

    It also called for current gay male representatives to relinquish their role if it already exists within a LGBT+ society.

    A statement from Push Projects in Warwickshire shared its concerns and called upon the NUS and the NUS LGBT+ to “take a hard look at itself and reassess the direction it is heading in”.

    In the statement the charity said the dropping of gay male representation was “concerning” and “shocking”,

    This type of message of great concern to us as a charity, as we actively support a number of LGBT+ students. We see the discrimination, prejudice, violence and abuse that many of those LGBT+ people endure. This of course includes gay men, and indeed white cis gay men.

    Acting to remove gay men’s reps from LGBT+ student societies is a shocking turn of events. Gay men, along with lesbian, bisexual and trans people, continue to experience discrimination, violence and abuse in society, at work, school, college, university, and also within the LGBT+ community. Homophobia still exists, even within the LGBT+ community. That is why it is imperative that gay men’s reps remain within LGBT+ student societies.

     

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    Speaking to THEGAYUK a spokesperson for the NUS said,

    “All delegate who attend NUS LGBT+ conference are free to submit motions for discussion but they do not necessarily represent the views of NUS if at all.

    “NUS itself does not have any committee places solely reserved for men, this is because we recognise that the LGBT+ community is far wider than just men, at a national level we have an open place where anyone can put themselves forward for nomination.

     “The conference resolved that local LGBT+ societies to do the same, although ultimate we have no jurisdiction over them. This has nothing to do with the views of an individual about the validity of issues anyone faces but is simply because we believe its fairer practice.”

     

  • Gay Male Reps To Be “Dropped” From LGBT Societies At University

    Gay male students will no longer have a “reserved” space for a representative at their University after NUS LGBT+ calls for gay men representatives to drop their positions claiming cis white gay men do not face discrimination.

    CREDIT: ©-pressmaster / Depositphotos.com
    CREDIT: ©-pressmaster / Depositphotos.com

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    Gay male students in the UK’s University system are facing the prospect of not having a representative at their LGBT+ society after the NUS LGBT+ voted to abolish  a reserved space for gay male reps.

    It also called for current gay male representatives to relinquish their role if it already exists within a LGBT+ society.

    A reserved space for a representatives will remain for lesbian, bisexual, trans and asexual reps, however gay male representatives will no-longer be mandatory after claiming that misogyny, transphobia, racism and biphobia were more likely to happen if societies were “dominated” by white cis gay men.”

    No evidence was submitted to prove its claim.

    Last year the NUS said that gay white men were no longer allowed to ‘appropriate’ black female behaviour.

    The resolution to remove gay men’s reps was made in motion 408, Defending Safe(r) spaces and No Platforming.

     

    ALSO READ: COMMENT | Militant Left Wing LGBT Student Extremists Are Destroying Free Speech

     

     

    It made the moves after it stated:

    Gay men do not face oppression as gay men within the LGBT+ community and do not need a reserved place on society committees.

    The conference resolved that they would “encourage” LGBT+ societies that have a gay man’s rep to “drop the position”.

    Officers For All.

    CREDIT: ©-katukphoto1 / Depositphotos.com
    CREDIT: ©-katukphoto1 / Depositphotos.com

    During the conference students did however vote on Motion 407, “LGBT+ Officers For All” in which it called upon NUS LGBT+ to encourage and empower students to demand LGBT+ representation.

    TheGayUK reached out to NUS LGBT+ for comment.

  • If You’re A White Gay Male Student, Don’t Act Like A Black Woman – It’s Policy

    The UK National Union of Students has passed a policy which means that white gay men must stop appropriating black female culture.

    It is being reported that delegates at the Women’s Conference today passed a motion makes it against policy to snap, click or sashay away, or generally act in any way that can be attributed to black women.

    Submitted by the NUS LGBT Committee the motion reads:

    503: ‘Dear White Gay Men: Stop Approprirating [sic] Black Women’.

    The appropriation of Black women by white gay men is prevalent within the LGBT scene and community.

    1. This may be manifested in the emulation of the mannerisms, language (particularly AAVE- African American Vernacular English) and phrases that can be attributed to Black women. White gay men may often assert that they are “strong black women” or have an “inner black woman”.
    1. White gay men are the dominant demographic within the LGBT community, and they benefit from both white privilege and male privilege.
    1. The appropriation of Black women by white gay men has been written about extensively. This quote is taken from Sierra Mannie’s TIME piece entitled: “Dear white gays, stop stealing Black Female culture”:

    “You are not a black woman, and you do not get to claim either blackness or womanhood. There is a clear line between appreciation and appropriation. I need some of you to cut it the hell out. Maybe, for some of you, it’s a presumed mutual appreciation for Beyoncé and weaves that has you thinking that I’m going to be amused by you approaching me in your best “Shanequa from around the way” voice. I don’t know. What I do know is that I don’t care how well you can quote Madea, who told you that your booty was getting bigger than hers, how cute you think it is to call yourself a strong black woman, who taught you to twerk, how funny you think it is to call yourself Quita or Keisha or for which black male you’ve been bottoming — you are not a black woman, and you do not get to claim either blackness or womanhood. It is not yours. It is not for you.”

    The conference, believes, that “This type of appropriation is unacceptable and must be addressed.

    “Low numbers of Black LGBT women delegates attend NUS LGBT conference. This can be attributed to many factors, one of which may be the prevalent appropriation by white gay men, which may mean that delegates do not feel comfortable or safe attending conference.”

    In a second motion they passed the banning of cross-dressing or drag due the offence it could cause trans women.

    Speaking to GayStarNews about the policies a spokeswoman said, “We’re a democratic society, and if members voted for it, these are our policies”.