Monday 19-03-2018 - 10:00

On the 7-8 March 2018, LGBT+ delegates travelled to Stratford-upon-Avon, the home of all things Shakespeare, for the NUS LGBT+ Conference 2018. Over the two days, there was plenty to celebrate for Durham students. Ted Lavis Coward’s motion supporting students who are unable to come out was passed and they were elected to one of the Open Places on the NUS LGBT+ Committee, while Durham Trans Association won the LGBT+ Society Development of the Year award.

We spoke to Durham’s attendees about their experiences.

 

Ted Lavis Coward

I was very pleased that my motion on protecting students who are unable to come out passed, with only one person voting against the policy. I was also pleased to be elected as one of the Open Places on the NUS LGBT+ Committee. I have already started planning workshops and hope to be invited to different students’ unions throughout next year.

A real highlight of the conference was Lady Phyll’s opening speech. As the founder of Black Pride, she criticised the whitewashing of queer culture and illustrated how the value of black people is extracted in the movement, before the people themselves are disposed of. She spoke of how we must decolonise pride if we are to achieve liberation for all, which is what I tried working towards last year as LGBT+ President by working closely with the People of Colour Association. Some great policies were built on this idea of reclaiming pride from colonial powers or big corporations – the corporations who value the politics of diversity and inclusion over genuine liberation. It was very clear that delegates felt they had enough rainbow tote bags and were happy for the campaign to return to its radical, anti-capitalist roots.

Next year on committee I plan to assist activists in building grassroots campaigns with a focus on radical activism, and I am working on a workshop that considers how our bodies are socially constructed and how this feeds into transphobia in sport. I helped write a policy protecting the rights of trans athletes in Durham last year, which I then took to NUS National Conference where it passed through the National Executive Council, and I’m keen to continue this work, by educating students on trans issues to ensure that new trans inclusivity in sport policies that are now being implemented don’t receive backlash in their unions. Watch this space, and expect many references to queer theory and Foucault!

Luke Armitage (President of Durham Trans Association)

We were honoured to be awarded NUS LGBT+ Society Development of the Year, and to be recognised for our work alongside some incredible student activists and groups. It's really great to see the real progress trans and other LGBT+ students have been making nationwide. We are very grateful to everyone in Durham who has contributed in any way to the Trans Association this year. We'd also like to welcome and encourage even more people to get involved and attend events in future.