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June is Pride month, a time for celebration, acceptance and inclusivity

1 June 2023

4 minute read

At UoP we want to celebrate, but also reflect on how we can all be better allies and contribute to creating a culture where everyone can be themselves and where homophobia, transphobia and biphobia of any kind is challenged and addressed.

The University is a long-standing member of Stonewall, an organisation committed to creating transformative change for lesbian, gay, bi, trans, questioning, intersex and ace (LGBTQIA+) people, and we are proud to continue that alliance.  We would love to use this month to ask every member of our community to think about what you can do to help us achieve LGBTQIA+ equity.

 

Below is a list of ideas to help inspire you:  

  • Learn to be comfortable “calling out” and “calling in” other people’s homophobic, biphobic, and transphobic behaviour, which includes things such as: derogatory jokes, slurs, unacceptable and/or unwanted behaviour, intrusive questions, deliberately ignoring someone’s preferred pronoun(s), and outing trans people to others. If you see anything discriminatory and want to report it anonymously, or with your name, you can do so via the University’s Report and Support Tool.
  • Introduce yourself with your pronouns to create a more inclusive and safer environment for LGBTQIA+ students who want to do the same. If you wish to make your support for the LGBTQIA+ community visible, you could also consider adding your pronouns to your email signature and Zoom display name.
  • Get one of our rainbow lanyards to show that the University is a space where we hope people can be themselves and not have to worry about facing any violence or discrimination for that. These can be purchased in the UPSU shop.
  • Come along to Portsmouth Pride on Saturday 10 June on Southsea Common to join the celebration of acceptance and inclusivity, enjoy good music, good food, and good company. Make sure you say hello to fellow students and staff at the University of Portsmouth stands - our very own LGBTQ+ society are even walking in the parade!
  • The LGBT+ Society is a social space where you can be yourself and proud and aims to create a safe space to help fellow students find a like-minded and accepting community to be a part of. You can get involved via Discord, Instagram and Facebook.