Celebrate our differences, and be proud of yourselves!
Hi everybody, my name is Sam, my pronouns are He/Him, and I’m a Trans-Masculine person, in the final year of my Illustration Degree, and your current LGBT+ Liberation Rep. I would love to be your Vice President for Diversity!
My manifesto is quite simple, to be proud of yourself, is to be visible. What I mean by that is that being proud of your identity, culture, sexual orientation, gender expression, disability, religion, and whatever else makes you the wonderful person that you are, can be enough to make a positive and impactful change within your communities. It allows others like you, to feel represented, seen, celebrated and have their thoughts, feelings and identities validated, all while allowing those who wish to become better allies to our communities to see accurate representation beyond our screens (either in TV or social media)!
I want to allow everyone at the university to feel welcome, and that they belong here. If I were to be voted into this post, my mission for the year is to focus on Post-graduate students and International students, making sure they feel as connected to the university as everyone else. You as students have achieved so much getting into undergraduate and post-graduate study as it is, you should be celebrated for your achievements! Through focus group sessions, to better understand the post-graduate and international student experiences, to help create a better experience for everyone. Changes made with you, the student in mind, where your voice truly matters.
I also want to focus on our LGBT students, in the hopes of showcasing our community in a positive light, fighting back against current media coverage, by creating designated events, and community spotlights to help celebrate your successes and uplift your spirits and by bringing in specialist resources from the likes of Wolverhampton LGBT charity combined with our in house mental health support services, to provide LGBT focused assistance for those who may need it.
I would look to working closely with our Disability & Inclusion departments, to allow for all students, with and without a diagnosis of disability, visible or hidden, to receive the support you require. Removing the boundaries so everyone has equal opportunity to learn and reach their fullest potential.
As a current Liberation Rep, I have had the pleasure of working with some of you already. Part of what I would do in this role would be to ensure the next Liberation Reps are on Campus, and visible to you. With a minimum of one in-person drop-in session available each week with the representative that you need, so that you always have someone to talk to. With the liberation Reps in mind, I want to bring communities from all sections together. Some of you will have parts of your identities that are intertwined, such as being LGBT and having a disability. I would endeavour to make progress in mixing communities, for everyone to find common ground with others they may not have thought of before, with collaborative events, trips and regular social gatherings, workshops and seminars.
I would love the opportunity to represent all of you in the coming year, and would truly value your vote!