Meet Bill, a second year English Literature student with a passion for poetry and progress! When he’s not smashing out Gaga songs at Friday night Rameoke, Bill is heavily involved with promoting LGBTQ+ rights, so we decided to catch up with him to see what he’s up to.
When did you first get involved with LGBTQ+?
I got involved around last December. I’d met some friends on my course who were also part of the LGBTQ+ community and they invited me out to a society social to Vaults! I really enjoyed being surrounded by loads of fellow queer people, so I started to go more often. Lo and behold I’m now on committee!
What is your role on committee?
I’m the Campaigns and Causes Officer. It’s a new committee position this year, as the society is shifting its focus to become more involved in campaigning for, and also educating on LGBTQ+ issues, whilst also retaining the social aspect as well.
I’m responsible for both coordinating campaigns for the society, which is something we’ve never done before, and also making sure that we continue to hold talks throughout the year on LGBTQ+ issues and debates.
The society has already had talks on Coming Out and Sexuality and we’ve collaborated with FemSoc with a Gender 101 talk as well!
What is your current project?
My current project is starting up a campaign for more gender neutral toilets across campus. At the moment there’s only one on campus, tucked round the corner from the Ram Bar, which is unacceptable.
Bathroom safety and welfare is a huge issue within the LGBTQ+ community. I myself as a cis gay man have always felt uncomfortable with male toilets. Much like locker rooms, they’re a place that’s highly gendered, and somewhere I’ve always felt conscious about my sexuality, especially when I was closeted. However, for many members of the transgender and non-binary community, toilets can be a dangerous place where, should someone perceive them to be in the wrong bathroom, they could be misgendered, forced out of or even verbally, sexually or physically assaulted.
Our aim is to ensure we achieve more gender neutral bathrooms across campus to ensure people are comfortable when going to the toilet, but especially for those who don’t identify within the gender binary, who don’t want to be outed as transgender, and also for transgender people who still may feel uncomfortable in toilets that correspond to their gender identity.
With the current rhetoric in the United States surrounding transgender people and bathrooms, I really want to make this a positive campaign, educating the wider university population on how they can help the LGBTQ+ community on respecting people’s choice of bathroom, their pronouns and gender identity. Gender neutral bathrooms are a key part of that, but wider bathroom safety is also very important for all queer people, but most importantly for those in the transgender and non-binary community.
What else do you hope to achieve this year with the society?
We’re also hoping to continue our talks throughout the year, which allies are more than welcome to come to, as these have already had a great amount of positive feedback. But also I want to always ensure that the society continues to have fun. The main reason the LGBTQ+ society exists is to provide a space for us to socialise together, something that many queer people have never experienced before in real life.
Quick fire questions:
Favourite place in Exeter?
Exeter Cathedral on Sunday’s at 4pm, choral evensong is the best way to end a stressful week!
Best thing about second year?
I actually read my course books! Who knew uni was about work?
Weirdest thing on your bucket list?
Become a published poet!
Favourite item of clothing?
Flower crowns. Gotta have that ethereal fairy aesthetic.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
That is the worst question you can ask an English Lit student! Probably a drunk poet.