INTRODUCTION Hi there! Transitioning is a hassle and a bother. For many of us, myself included, it is among the most profound experiences of our adult lives, but it's also an administrative pain in the behind and it brings a certain amount of fretting. The last thing you want at uni is a hassle and a bother - you've already got coursework for that - so we at the RSU have put this book together to help you figure out what you can access and how to go about accessing it. There are some limitations, not many, and those are explained herein. Uni is this amazing social, creative space; I cannot stress this enough. Get involved and
do stuff! You get out what you put in. Join a society or two, join a sports team, pitch in with the union. Leave your mark on this place and the mates you pick up along the way will last you a lifetime! You'll hear us talking about RoeFam, about being part of the family. It isn't cheesy marketing crap, it's the real thing. Trans or cis, you're part of the family now. Once you see it for yourself it becomes easier to shake off your shell and have a damn great time! Welcome to Roehampton, we all hope you have the best start here. Jo McKillop (Mx), Trans Officer (LGBTQ+ Society) 2016-17
A MESSAGE FROM THE SU PRESIDENT To second what Jo has said, welcome to Roehampton! Welcome to the family, you're going to have the best time here. The community's an immensely friendly one, everyone gets on well, social life is abundant and inclusivity is one of our core values! Whether you're here to study, to have fun, to make new friends, to learn new things, to try new activities or simply just to discover what the world has to offer, there will be something for you at Roehampton. Get involved, get stuck in, speak to new people and you'll quickly discover just how friendly and exciting Roehampton is.
Never hesitate to pop up to the Students’ Union, we're here with you, here helping you and here making sure your student experience is the best it can possibly be. So please, come say hi! You've arrived at a very unique place, you'll be calling it your home before you know it. I was terrified when I first started, now here I am, 5 years on and I've loved every second of it. I'll see you soon, wishing you the very best of luck. Jack De France
REGISTRY Registry holds the academic records and is where you go to update your details. They don't have much in the way of a standard policy in place at the time of writing, meaning it's handled on an individual basis, but here's how it tends to run. You will need a deed poll or similar to change your name. You don't need any paperwork to change your title or gender marker, just tell them you're transitioning when you take in the deed poll and you can request the marker and title be changed accordingly. They also accommodate the use of Mx and the removal of the gender marker entirely. You may need to go through your tutor to get it sorted and it may take a little while, but it will get done.
UNION AND SOCIETIES The Students’ Union (found in Froebel College, opposite the Union bar) offers support and representation to all students at Roehampton. The best way of making new friends around uni will always be by joining a society or a sports team, and for you this is no different. All student societies are run under RSU's purview. RSU socs are open to all students in good standing regardless of gender identity (as well as race, religion, sexuality, disability, or anything else you can name). They are open to you to participate fully within your acquired gender role (so if women do A, men do B, and you're a trans man, then you will do B) regardless of surgery, hormones, paperwork or whatever else. The union is
fully non-binary inclusive and has led the charge in recent years to make the university better for non-binary students. The LGBTQ+ Soc is run by the elected LGBTQ+ Officer and a small committee. The LGBTQ+ Soc campaigns for your rights and the rights of all LGBTQ+ people, as well as running mixers, socials, fundraisers (drinking and non-drinking events). To find this year's LGBTQ+ Officer go to roehamptonstudent.com/officers The RSU's Vice President for Welfare can help with issues around welfare or access to services. You'll find their details at that same link.
HEALTHCARE She did the referral for me like a week or so later… Three appointments, two blood tests, and nearly two full years after that first GP appointment on campus and I get my first T shot… Roehampton is like perfectly placed to go to the Charing Cross GIC in Hammersmith. And our on campus GP makes everything v smooth. – Arthur Fewings, third year Classical Civilisations student The on-campus GP service is more or less behind the Hive. You'll be shown it as part of moving in. The practice has confirmed that it will refer students to the Gender Identity Clinic at Charing Cross in Hammersmith (you will need a quick chat with the GP first) and that it will process repeat prescriptions on behalf of CX GIC. Please do bear in mind that the waiting list at CX is pretty absurd at the time of writing so it will take some time. If you already have a care plan with your old
GP then the practice here may be able to continue that uninterrupted. Maybe. It really does depend on the specifics here so I can't speak in generalities. Talk to them, see what they say. The nearest GUM clinic is over the road at Queen Mary's. The author can vouch for the GUM clinic at Kingston Hospital being very trans friendly (take the 85 from Medfield Street, get off at Queens Road/Kingston Hospital and walk up). If you're alright to go private there's the CliniQ in Soho.
WELFARE The Wellbeing Service is an entirely confidential and safe service for students to access for support. – Aleata Alstad-Calkins, Head of Wellbeing Your College Welfare Officer is here for you! It's their job to see you succeed, just like your lecturers, but the College Welfare Officer helps you to manage non-academic stuff so that it doesn't get in the way of your studies. The CWO can help you directly or, if you like, can refer you to people such as the counselling service, the mental health adviser, academic learning support, the GP,
and so on. They are the first port of call and you will find the details of the CWO for your college toward the back of this book. The service is confidential – just like seeing a doctor or counsellor – and they won't tell anyone your business unless you say it's okay*. *The usual exemptions apply for preventing suicide, terrorism and harm to minors.
SPORT Sport is complicated. While you're just playing at Roehampton it's a lot easier and simpler from your end: you join up and play. In sport here we don't care who you are, we care that you bring it! When you compete with other universities however, then it starts to get fiddly. Some few sports aren't gender-separated so anyone can play anyone. For the bulk that are here's a rough guide. Please excuse the language used, it's not what we would've chosen, it's from BUCS.
MALE TO FEMALE
FEMALE TO MALE
Testosterone suppressed* > 1yr (MtF) or not on testosterone (FtM).
Testosterone suppressed* >1yr (MtF) or not on testosterone (FtM).
Testosterone suppressed* >1yr (MtF) or not on testosterone (FtM).
Testosterone not suppressed, suppressed < 1yr (MtF), or taking testosterone over any duration (FtM).
Play as a male
Play as a male
*Testosterone suppressant drugs include Leuprorelin, Cytoperone, and Goserelin to name just some. Oestrogen (Estradiol) alone is not a testosterone suppressant. If you're not sure what drugs you're on, ask your GP.
As a general rule of thumb, you're more likely to be playing competitively if you're in a team sport (hockey, rugby) than an individual sport (martial arts, trampolining), and in sports graded Olympic or Commonwealth rather than Play. In team sports the team trains to compete together, while in the individual sports the competition teams can often be significantly smaller than the practice teams. That's a general sense but in all cases we advise you to speak with Sport Roehampton and see what they say. There's always something you can play! There's a full weekly timetable of free sports that anyone can turn up and participate in,
and Sport Roehampton will not ask you to specify a gender in order to play these. See posters for details or pop into the office. You can find Sport Roehampton in Richardson at time of writing. Jon's remit is participation so he'll get you playing.
RELIGION There are a wide range of beliefs about gender and transitioning within Christianity. Here at Roehampton, the Christian Chaplains aim to affirm and support all students and staff, regardless of gender identity. We do this because of our firm belief that “there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28) and our belief that we are all made in the image of God, regardless of gender (Genesis 1:27). Though our team is mainly Christian, we are a multi-faith chaplaincy, with representatives from other faith groups, and they too are affirming and supportive of trans students. Our chaplaincy activities are open to all, regardless of gender (or race, sexuality, religion or college affiliation!) If you would like to speak with a chaplain about issues of transitioning and faith, or if you would simply like a listening ear, then please do get in touch with any of our chaplains. – Ginny Jordan-Arthur, Catholic Chaplain Religion is important and access to religion is a fundamental right at Roehampton. The entire Chaplaincy team are more than happy for trans students to attend services! You don't need to set anything up, just go to any service of prayer or worship and you'll be treated no differently to anybody else. The Chaplains are based in the various colleges but any student from any college can attend any service by any Chaplain. The composition of the Chaplaincy team varies with student numbers. The permanent Chaplains are Christian and Muslim though we also get in volunteer Chaplains from other faiths. To find out more, please speak with any Chaplain. There are five societies of religious students here: the Christian Union, Islamic Society, Ahlulbayt Islamic Society, Hindu Society and Sikh Society. Prayer meetings are often
conducted by the socs, especially for those religions that don't presently have a full-time Chaplain. These socs are under the wing of RSU and so the rule about equality of access still applies.
I DIDN’T REALIZE WHO I WAS UNTIL I STOPPED BEING WHO I WASN’T
NON-BINARY SPECIFIC Registry will sort you out as Mx. We're trying to get an X marker on the system, it's not there yet, so right now you can be M, F, or a blank space where a marker would be. Charing Cross take non-binary patients though it's not as straightforward as it is for binary patients. Go in confident of your needs and don't get flustered. Don't just agree with things you don't want. Anything sex-segregated you're going to have to play by ear or talk to your tutor, especially regarding dormitory accommodation on
UNSEGREGATED IN PRACTICE
residential trips. Seriously, take that bull by the horns early on. The following sports aren't segregated and don't require you to declare a gender to participate at some level. Those unsegregated in practice will allow you to turn up in the evening and train, but to go off to BUCS and compete you will still need to choose an M or F. Those unsegregated in competition will allow you to compete without having to adopt an M or F marker.
UNSEGREGATED IN COMPETITION
Tennis
Touch Rugby
Volleyball (recreational)
Mixed Lacrosse
Athletics
Mixed Tennis
Snooker and Pool
Mixed Badminton
Mixed Lacrosse
Cheerleading
Table Tennis Badminton Squash Judo Boxing Kickboxing Taekwondo Gymnastics Trampolining
SOME PEOPLE ARE TRANS. GET OVER IT
USEFUL CONTACTS HEALTH & WELLBEING CONTACTS: health&wellbeing@roehampton.ac.uk WHITELANDS emily.cookson@roehampton.ac.uk FROEBEL sophie.carney@roehampton.ac.uk DIGBY STUART nicola.hallam@roehampton.ac.uk SOUTHLANDS j.eskdale@roehampton.ac.uk ROEHAMPTON STUDENTS’ UNION ChuChu.Nwagu@roehampton.ac.uk HEALTH & WELBEING 0208 392 3204
GENDER NEUTRAL TOILET LOCATIONS UNSEGREGATED IN PRACTICE Building
Accessible GNTs (floors)
Davies
G
Digby Chapel
G
Elm Grove
G, 3, 4
Grove House
G
Howard
G
G, 1
Jebb
G
G
Lawrence
G
G
Michaelis
Ambulant GNTs (floors)
3, 4
G
Olive Garnett
G
Parkstead
B, G, 1, 2, 3 3
Queen's Building
G, 1, 2
Richardson
G
Southlands Chapel Student Union
G 1
1
The floors in the buildings shon have designated gender-neutral toilets. Anybody can use these. Some are wheelchair-accessible, some are ambulant (walking). If you can walk, please try to get to an ambulant toilet if there's one in the building and within an acceptable distance. We've only listed those which are explicitly labelled as all-access, gender-neutral, all-gender, et cetera, so as to prevent aggro, though other toilets exist. Olive Garnett is the exception but it's the only toilet in the building and everybody uses it. Cedar, Harvey, and Lulham all have accessible toilets marked explicitly as “for the use of disabled students only”. Hirst doesn't even have a toilet for disabled students, they have to use Duchesne. The accessible toilet in Montefiore requires a RADAR key.