UWE LGBT+

Context

When I joined UWE, the LGBT+ Society operated much like any other student group: hierarchical, role-heavy and built around nightclub-led socials. For many queer students, this made it inaccessible.

I joined first as Communications Officer, and the following year became President — a role I held for over two years. My instinct from day one was to shift the culture: to make the society a credible point of connection, not just a social club. It needed different language, different expectations and a different sense of responsibility.

The community’s needs were wider, deeper and often more emotional than the existing structure could hold. The work became about rethinking the team, reframing how the society communicated, and reshaping how it supported students, represented identity and connected with the wider queer community in Bristol.

Focus

The focus across my presidency was clear:

• empowerment through community

• accessibility over hierarchy

• visibility rooted in care

• Awareness and fundraising for LGBTQ+ organisations

• creating safe, stigma-free spaces

• building real links between students, staff and the wider city

It was about transforming the society from something separate into something students could rely on, participate in and shape.

This meant changing language, structures, communication styles and expectations, and designing activity that held both social joy and community responsibility.

Approach

My approach combined cultural change, community building and hands-on delivery.

1. Reframing the organisation

Much of the cultural change came from removing subtle barriers in how we presented ourselves. By dropping hierarchical titles, shifting from “committee” to “team” and softening the use of “society,” we dismantled old preconceptions and created a space students felt able to join, trust and shape.

2. Building capacity and safety

The team handled complex wellbeing conversations, so I introduced guidance on boundaries, referrals and supportive language, while working with university staff to direct students to formal support rather than a student-run group.

3. Expanding partnerships and funding

I built relationships with local cafés, queer venues, charities and community organisations to secure sponsorship, free spaces and collaborative programming - reducing reliance on alcohol venues and increasing accessibility.

4. Designing meaningful activity

Programmed a full annual calendar delivered at Freshers’ Week, giving students confidence, reliability, and support from day one.

Programming was built around our three promises: 1. empower students, 2. raise £5,000 for charity, 3. invigorate community

The activity included a mix of cultural, social and charity-led projects such as:

• Fresh Fest, a rogue wellbeing-focused Freshers’ festival

• Temptation, the immersive charity cabaret

• Trans People Exist campaign

• Christmas Card Project, sending hundreds of cards to queer people without family support

• Queer art exhibitions across the city

• Cross-university socials, bringing together students from multiple institutions

• Movie nights, café socials and non-alcoholic events, outnumbered alcohol based events

5. Representing the community

Representation during this period sat quietly behind much of the visible activity. It involved consistent advocacy, careful communication and steady work within university structures. This included:

• contributing to the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index review, bringing a student perspective into an employer-focused process

• ongoing internal advocacy around accessibility, safeguarding and clearer support pathways

• introducing the LGBT+ Buddy System, offering an accommodation preference for queer students

• attending national NUS LGBT+ conferences, contributing to wider policy conversations

• shaping UWE’s Pride communication, including the annual staff–student meet-up and a citywide thank-you video

• handling press engagement, both for community projects and during more challenging national media moments

This was the unseen part of the work: holding responsibility, protecting students, and ensuring queer voices were present in spaces they were often absent from.

Outcomes

Across two years, the team grew significantly in participation, visibility and community trust. We delivered large-scale events, raised thousands for charity, and created new forms of support that outlasted my presidency.

External recognition included:

• national radio appearances

• nominations for SU awards

• continued adoption of Fresh Fest’s event model

• continuation of the LGBT+ accommodation preference scheme

• integration of successful practices into SU programming

More importantly, students, staff and wider community consistently fed back that the society felt more open, more grounded and more genuinely supportive.

Reflection

Leading the UWE LGBT+ Team was the most formative period of my early adulthood. It taught me how to build community, hold responsibility, navigate conflict, advocate for culture change and create spaces that feel genuinely supportive.

It was emotionally challenging, often overwhelming, and demanded more resilience than I had at the time, but it shaped how I understand queerness, community and the role of design, communication and care in shaping collective experience.

It remains one of the most meaningful contributions I’ve made, and a foundation for much of the work I create today.