Students’ Union UCL host trans solidarity demonstration and workshop at IoE
Photography by Zaya Gundalai
On Saturday 1st February, a group of students took part in a trans solidarity demonstration outside UCL’s Institute of Education.
The demonstration was organised by the Students’ Union to mark the beginning of LGBT+ History Month, and in response to UCL hosting A Woman’s Place UK (WPUK) on campus for the Women’s Liberation 2020 Conference.
The students were demonstrating against WPUK’s “gender critical” approach, which has been challenged by some who view it as transphobic. Students’ Union UCL vocalised their opposition to the conference in a statement on the 23rd January: “We believe WPUK wrongly claim that rights won by feminist movements are threatened by trans people, and particularly by trans women.”
The Union assert that “UCL should be an open, accessible and safe space for trans people. WPUK is wholly at odds with the values of our institution and is not welcomed by our Union, our elected officers or our members and we have no tolerance for people who contribute to developing a hostile environment for the trans community.”
Earlier in the month, a group of staff and students also wrote an open letter to the Provost expressing their concerns about the conference being hosted at UCL; for Pi’s full report, follow this link.
As conference delegates entered the IoE building at 9am, around 30 protestors stood behind a security barrier outside, waving trans flag placards and chanting phrases such as “trans rights are human rights” and “no to transphobia at UCL”. A student attending the demonstration commented: “It was a great experience protesting with passionate, like-minded students eager to spend their Saturday morning standing up for what they believe in.”
The demonstration was peaceful and an organiser closed with the statement: “At UCL, we believe in love, regardless of race, sexuality, class, or whatever else continues to be used to marginalise people”.
When asked for comment, WPUK said: “We are very grateful to the nearly 1000 people who came together for the Women’s Liberation 2020 Conference. We are equally appreciative of the support we received from UCL staff and security and were heartened by the warm remarks delivered during our opening plenary by Professor Brad Blitz, representing the Institute of Education.”
“The conference had the intention of inspiring participants to return to their communities and workplaces with a focus on activism and building solutions for women and girls. Thanks to the superb work of our speakers and helpers, we held 30 workshops, 5 panel discussions and 2 plenaries addressing the themes of the WPUK manifesto.”
Following the demonstration, students attended a workshop at the IoE bar by NUS Trans Officer Eden Ladley, titled “How To Recognise Trans Exclusionary Feminist Ideology”. Ladley discussed different strands of feminism and explained how to support and include the trans community; for example, making spaces trans-inclusive, reading and listening to trans people themselves, and supporting trans-inclusive organisations.
Ladley also highlighted upcoming events in trans activism, such as the debate surrounding proposed changes to the Gender Recognition Act.
These counter-events mark the beginning of LGBT+ History Month at the Union. The theme this year is “Peace, Activism & Reconciliation” and the UCL LGBT+ Network will be running a number of events throughout February, including film screenings of Moonlight and Major!, socials, and ‘Pride in Sport’.
The latter is a joint campaign between TeamUCL and the LGBT+ Network, which aims to “create a welcoming environment for anybody to participate in the sports community at UCL regardless of gender or sexuality”.