The LGBT+ Network of Networks in Higher Education (@LGBTNoNHE) have an initiative to showcase the talents and skills of members, and to bring joy to LGBT+ communities during the current testing time. LGBT+ individuals are more likely to live alone or may not situate in an inclusive domestic environment. #NetworksGotTalent

Enjoy the talents of Staff Pride Network Meeting Secretary Derek Williams and his improvisation on piano of The Village People’s YMCA and Macho Man. Check out his own Derek Williams YouTube channel for much more. We hope this brings a smile to your face while we all do our best in isolation and socially distancing.

With social distancing and lots of places including many schools closing because of coronavirus, children are connecting with each other by painting colourful rainbows and putting them in their windows for others to see.

It’s thought the rainbow trend started in Italy but has rapidly caught on in other countries including the US, Canada, Spain and now the UK.

Stay safe and well,

Danielle

This is a regular weekly Wednesday lunchtime coffee meetup 1-2pm & once a month (on the first Friday of the month) our evening social event (BYOB) 6:30pm-late.

Please drop in with a coffee and meet your LGBT+ colleagues and ask a committee member those questions you’ve been dying to have answered!

This event is open to all LGBT+/ally staff (or PhD students) of the University of Edinburgh.

More generally we have a broad range of people attending of all ages, disabilities and social abilities so please feel welcome to join us.

If you are nervous at all and would like to meet up with one of us first then please get in contact via our social media outlets or via email: staffpridenetwork@ed.ac.uk

For the duration of ‘the event’ we shall be meeting online via a video chat service (Jitsi) as it does not require a login, is browser-based (Chrome recommended) and is open-source.

Join the meeting: https://meet.jit.si/StaffPrideNetworkSocial

Mobile apps are available (Room Name: StaffPrideNetworkSocial):

iPhone App: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/jitsi-meet/id1165103905

Android App: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.jitsi.meet

Those without internet/smartphone/laptop can join by phone instead (standard charges apply), tap this: +44.121.468.3154,,507231970#

Please open the chat from the bottom left and you can add a nickname so people know who you are if not using a camera.

Note: Audio settings are found in the bottom right (three dots icon) under settings to check you have the right mic and speaker setup.

Jitsi FAQ

The Staff Pride Network is creating a subject specialist database bringing together scholars – PhD
students, early career researchers, and established academics – working on LGBTQIA+ topics,
reflecting the combined strength of the University of Edinburgh expertise in the field.

What is the Register of Expertise?

The register of expertise will be a database of scholars engaged with LGBTQIA+ research. The
register will aim to enable knowledge exchange and facilitate contact between those with common
interests or areas of research. The database would be comprehensive in terms of disciplines and
research approaches.

The aim of the database is to contribute to the sharing of research and ideas across the university
and beyond. This could be supported through a variety of both on and offline spaces. The base for
this will be an online register of expertise in LGBTQIA+ research. Possibilities for development could
be a regular feature in the Staff Pride Network Blog (‘LGBTQIA+ research in focus’), a ‘Staff Pride
Network Seminar Series’ to disseminate completed research and work in progress.
The information to provide will be: contact details, areas of interest, research (relevant books,
publications, projects, other outputs), and a summary of current work.

How to join?

If you are a scholar working on any aspect of LGBTQIA+ research and are interested in joining the
‘Register of Expertise’, please let us know by emailing our Research Officer – Edgar Rodriguez-Dorans
at edgar.rodriguez-dorans@ed.ac.uk

March 31^st marks International Transgender Day of Visibility. Since it was founded in 2009, this day has been dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of the discrimination faced by trans people worldwide as well as their contributions to society. In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic that we currently find ourselves in we wanted to take this opportunity to highlight some of the ways in which the trans community are being specifically impacted by this crisis.

You will have seen in the news that many non-emergent/non-urgent, routine surgeries are being postponed. For trans people, this means gender-affirming surgeries will not take place as despite the life-altering and in many cases, life-saving, nature of these surgeries the NHS still considers them non-essential Many Gender Identity Clinics in the UK have waiting times of 18months to 2 years to get a referral to a gender identity clinic. Indefinitely postponing surgeries will only add to the already agonising wait for essential support experienced by the trans community.

Information from the community care group Queercare indicates that many GPs are asking trans folk to do their own hormone injections at the moment. Queercare have produced guidance on this here if it is an option for you: https://wiki.queercare.network/index.php?title=IM_injection_protocol. The Scottish Trans Alliance has also circulated information about how to request different hormone preparations from your GP if injectables are not an option. Many trans people are also concerned about the impact that COVID-19 will have on stock and availability of vital hormones.

There are dedicated groups who can help trans and queer people in Edinburgh in these terrible COVID-19 times – contact us for more info.

My name is David and I’ve recently joined the Edinburgh Research Office as a Solicitor, Contracts Manager in the Research Contracts, Governance and Integrity team. I’m really passionate about Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and serve as Secretary of the Glass Network, the Law Society of Scotland’s advisory body on LGBT+ matters and Scotland’s organisation for LGBT+ legal professionals. Most recently I was elected to the University’s Staff Pride Network as Social and Events Officer.

The Staff Pride Network is now running our weekly Wednesday lunchtime coffee meetups and our monthly social event online. More details are available at the following link with details on further events to follow in due course: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/staff-pride-network-virtual-social-tickets-101570819054

Forty years ago, when Lavender Menace Bookshop opened, positive depictions of LGBT+ people in books were rare. One lesbian pulp novel of the 1950s was called Women in the Shadows. There were similar shadows over all queer people in print and film. And legal censorship was alive and well in the 1980s. It simply had to be more focussed than before, as with Section 28.

Today our lives can be explored straightforwardly in fiction and non-fiction – but how did the change come? It was mainly LGBT+ writers and presses, along with radical bookshops and book distributors, who took the risk and opened the door. Their success surprised everyone and gave a lead which others followed.

But now many of the original LGBT+ and feminist presses have closed and well-known books have been forgotten. Lavender Menace Returns hopes to create an archive and database of the material we knew best. They want to also include LGBT+ writing of today to form one body of work telling the story of our community – and our demand for equality and honesty.

Follow Lavender Menace Returns on:

Twitter: @menacesof2019

FaceBook: lavendermenacereturns

February is LGBT history month and in Scotland, the focus is on that Clause 2a/Section 28 was repealed 20 years ago (https://www.lgbtyouth.org.uk/news/2019/announcing-the-theme-for-lgbt-history-month-2020/ ). There were three more years for it in England and Wales and the less said about Northern Ireland the better. I grew up under Section 28 and it was a confusing time. We had no internet, and no school or medical resources about homosexuality or bisexuality so all we had was the media and that was … varied.

Most media articles were hysterical in tone. Gay men were either said to be or implied to be paedophiles, gay women were often ignored or considered frigid or man-hating and bisexuals needed to pick a side.  Where there was variation in representation it was HUGE and isolated. The famous Brookside lesbian kiss (https://www.stonewall.org.uk/our-work/campaigns/1994-same-sex-kiss-between-two-women-brookside-builds-first-kiss-between-two-men ) was often reported for being “saucy” and framed through the male gaze. The gay kiss between Simon and Tony in EastEnders (https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/loud-proud-eastenders-gay-kiss-mark-homer_uk_5725ad16e4b0a1e971cb84f0) meanwhile should never have been shown before the watershed. Because sexuality was inherently sexual and not to be discussed.

For me growing up as bisexual in that world, and wanting to get married and have kids one day, “pick a side” meant picking men because there was no way I could have those things with a woman. I was still outspoken about gay rights but did not think that could apply for me. Things have changed but Section 28 cast a long shadow over the lives of so many people and has influenced the way children are taught, even today. There are more resources outside of school but they still take courage to find. It is still hard.

The Staff Pride Network held a schools event that highlighted the parallels between Section 28 and the treatment of trans rights and some attendees asked if there really was a parallel. For me, there are some obvious ones. Media representation of trans people has the same hysteria I remember from my childhood and teen years. Trans women are presented as sexually deviant, trans men are all but forgotten, non-binary identities? Pick a side. A recent Guardian Blind Dates column with a trans woman and a lesbian led to people claiming the trans woman was somehow tricking the lesbian. Thankfully she rebutted it in the strongest possible terms (https://twitter.com/aigroe/status/1199431598929784838?s=20).

I know the internet it a resource now, but not everyone has it in their homes. Imagine suspecting you are trans now in this media environment? How much courage would it take to look it up at school where people might see, particularly when everything you see is so hysterical and claims you are such a threat to the fabric of society (recalling Thatcher’s words as she introduced Section 28)?

The fact that so many of the arguments and tropes that were used against lesbian, gay and bisexual people are being used against out trans siblings is something many of us can’t ignore because we remember the impact those things had on our own lives, and our own opportunities to be who we really are.

The shadow of Section 28 is still long, and the impact on trans lives is still harder. Research from LGBTYS (https://www.lgbtyouth.org.uk/media/1354/life-in-scotland-for-lgbt-young-people.pdf ) shows that when asked if they had a mental health problem, 40% of LGBT young people and 66.7% of transgender young people said “yes”, while half (50%) of LGBT young people and 63% of transgender young people experienced suicidal thoughts or behaviours. 73% of LGBT young people, and 83% of transgender young people, who had experienced at least one mental health problem, had been bullied at school and this shows why the work of organisations like LGBTYS is so vital.

The parallels are real. We need to learn from the past, I know the 80s and 90s are back in fashion but prejudice, discrimination and bigotry never should be.

Siobhán

It has been 20 years since the repeal of Section 28/Clause 2a in Scotland. This event was held to provide an understanding of current equality law pertaining to schools, to discuss the experiences and challenges that our students and staff had in school before and after Section 28’s repeal, in particular young trans students’ experiences.

This event was intended as a positive experience for staff and students to share their LGBTQ+ experiences, for the audience to learn about the similarities and differences of their times.

Event Co-Chairs are Elliot Byrom, EUSA Trans & Non-Binary Liberation Officer and Sharon Cowan, Professor of Feminist and Queer Legal Studies.

Panellists were: Sarah Quinn (PrideSoc Faith rep who has done work in the background to section 28), Hazel Sanderson (PrideSoc Trans and Non-Binary Rep), Levi Mitchell (PrideSoc President) and LGBT Youth Scotland Head of National Programmes (including schools guidance), Cara Spence.

https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/staffpridenetwork/

https://pridesoc.com/

https://lgbtyouth.org.uk/

We have 3 fantastic Staff Pride Network events lined up for LGBT+ History Month 2020 in February.  Please share with your colleagues/friends and retweet/share via social media:

School LGBTQ+ Diversity Since Section 28/Clause 2a

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/school-lgbtq-diversity-since-section-28clause-2a-tickets-90635875343?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

 ‘Coming In’: Share a piece of your LGBT+ History

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/coming-in-share-a-piece-of-your-lgbt-history-tickets-91064318829

[POSTPONED DUE TO UCU STRIKES] We Are Human: Personal Stories of LGBTQ+ Identities and Intersection

Lavender Menace LGBT+ Book Archive

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lavender-menace-lgbt-book-archive-tickets-90624697911

• School LGBTQ+ Diversity Since Section 28/Clause 2a (Thursday, 6 February at 6-8pm in Room G.159 MacLaren Stuart Room, Old College)

What has changed in 20 years since the repeal of Section 28/Clause 2a in Scotland? This joint event from University students and staff, with LGBT Youth Scotland, is being held to provide understanding of current equality law pertaining to schools, to discuss the experiences and challenges that our students and staff had in school before and after Section 28/Clause 2a’s repeal, in particular young trans students’ experiences, for the audience to learn about the similarities and differences of their times.

This public event is an opportunity for us all to show support for our trans staff and students and the trans community.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/school-lgbtq-diversity-since-section-28clause-2a-tickets-90635875343?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

• ‘Coming In’: Share a piece of your LGBT+ History (Thursday, 13 February at 5:30-7:30pm in Room 2.03, 50 George Square)

If you moved to the University of Edinburgh for study or work, this is for YOU. Staff Pride Network & PrideSoc student network have partnered with OurStory Scotland to record our stories and experiences, good or bad, of coming to Edinburgh. How did you imagine it would be, and how does the reality compare with your expectations? How different is it if you are coming from overseas or from the Highlands?

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/coming-in-share-a-piece-of-your-lgbt-history-tickets-91064318829

[POSTPONED DUE TO UCU STRIKES]

• We Are Human: Personal Stories of LGBTQ+ Identities and Intersection (Friday, 21 February at 8:50am-1:30pm/12:45-5:30pm in the Informatics Forum)

We are pleased to announce the inaugural ‘We Are Human” conference organised by the Staff Pride Network and PrideSoc with funding from the Principal’s office, Finance department and the colleges of CSE, CMVM/BVM & CAHSS about raising awareness and discussing issues and challenges faced by LGBTQ+ staff and students. Morning/afternoon sessions can be booked separately in case anyone can only make one session. Allies especially welcome. Lunch, tea & coffee included.

Scottish Minister for Older People & Equality Christina McKelvie MSP will officially close the event alongside the Principal, Professor Peter Mathieson.

Programme details at https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/staffpridenetwork/2019/12/20/we-are-human-personal-stories-of-lgbtq-identities-and-intersection

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/we-are-human-personal-stories-of-lgbtq-identities-and-intersection-tickets-91479195737

We Are Human Conference – Friday 21st Feb 2020 MyEd booking link

• Lavender Menace LGBT+ Book Archive (Thursday, 27 February at 5:30-7:30pm in Room G.06, 50 George Square)

Many of the original LGBT+ and feminist presses have closed and well-known books have been forgotten.  Join us to hear from Lavender Menace Returns on how and why they are creating an LGBT+ archive and database to ensure that our stories are not lost. They also want to include LGBT+ writing of today to form one body of work telling the story of our community – and our demand for equality and honesty. Open to all; invite your friends.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lavender-menace-lgbt-book-archive-tickets-90624697911

There are also the monthly evening social and coffee and cake dates to look forward to in February and beyond:

• Staff Pride Network’s Monthly Evening Social (Friday, 7 February at 6-10pm at Checkpoint)

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/staff-pride-networks-monthly-evening-social-tickets-61238984451

• Staff Pride Network Central Coffee & Cake (Wednesday, 12 February at 1-2pm in Bayes Cafe)

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/staff-pride-network-central-coffee-cake-tickets-61528580641

• Staff Pride Network Kings Buildings Coffee & Cake (Wednesday, 19 February at 1:15-2pm in the Upstairs Café, 7^th Floor)

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/staff-pride-network-kings-buildings-coffee-cake-tickets-61779344683

• Staff Pride Network Western General Coffee & Cake (Wednesday, 26 February at 3-4pm in the Nucleus Café)

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/staff-pride-network-western-general-hospital-coffee-cake-tickets-62355589246

We hope to see you there!

HUGE thanks to our event partners and the Events Organising Team of Tracy, Dax, Cara, Siobhan and Jonathan, without whom none of these events would have happened.

Jonathan and Katie

Jonathan MacBride (he/him) and Katie Nicoll Baines (she/her)

Co-Chairs of Staff Pride Network, for LGBT+ Colleagues and Allies