OXFORD UNIVERSITY LGBTQ+ SOCIETY
THE LGBTQ+ FRESHERS' GUIDE
2021-22
CONTENTS WELCOME ........................................ 2
TERMCARD ...................................... 3
MEET THE TEAM ........................... 5
EVENTS INFORMATION ............ 7
AT THE UNIVERSITY .................. 11
AROUND THE CITY ...................... 12
RAINBOW PARENTING .............. 13
SOCIETY FUNDS ........................... 14
OUR PARTNERS .............................. 15
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WELCOME Welcome to our handy guide to LGBTQ+ life in Oxford - this booklet should give you all the information you'll need about the events and initiatives we run, the best LGBTQ+ friendly spots in the city and everything else LGBTQ+ at Oxford!
As a Society, we’re here to provide a friendly and safe space for all LGBTQ+ students to have fun and meet new people! We have no membership fee and the vast majority of our events are free so that anyone can come along and get involved. We have a wonderful committee made up of 30 students of different identities who organise a broad range of social and welfare events every week that cater to everyone in our diverse community. Our events are a brilliant way to make new friends and express yourself freely without fear of judgement. There’s no pressure for anyone to come and act a certain way, and don’t worry if you haven’t got everything figured out yet (pretty much none of us do!!), just come as you are! We know that it can take a lot to work up the confidence to come to a Society event and get to know new people in an unfamiliar setting, but we'll try out best to help you get settled in. I remember how nervous I was turning up to my first event, but I am so glad I took the plunge! Whether you come to one of our drinks events, one of our brunches, a film screening or an identity specific event like an international potluck or bi/pan painting, we’ll welcome you in and help you have a great time! We don’t just provide a social space for the LGBTQ+ community in Oxford, we also provide welfare and support services to ensure that you have access to any support or information you might need! We’re also here to represent the student body and work closely with the Student Union’s LGBTQ+ Campaign on projects to improve LGBTQ+ life at Oxford. To engage with more activist and advocacy-based projects, do reach out to Campaign at lgbtq-chair@oxfordsu.ox.ac.uk! If you ever have any questions, fancy a chat about LGBTQ+ life or want a friendly face you can go to an event with, don’t hesitate to drop me an email at ouprez@gmail.com or find me on Facebook! Lots of LGBTQ+ Love,
Clay Nash (she/they) OULGBTQ+ Society President
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TERM-CARD
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MEET THE TEAM PRESIDENT
Clay (she/they) - ouprez@gmail.com
SECRETARY
Maame (she/her) - ousecre@gmail.com
TREASURER
Connor (he/him) - outreasu@gmail.com
SOCIAL SECRETARY
Joe (he/him) - ousocialsec@gmail.com
JUNIOR SOCIAL SECRETARY
Jackie (she/her) - oujunsocialsec@gmail.com
PUBLICITY OFFICER
Alex (she/her) - oupubl@gmail.com
IT OFFICER
J (pronoun indifferent) - ouitofficer@gmail.com
STASH & ETHICS OFFICER
Yannis (he/him) - oustashofficer@gmail.com
WELFARE OFFICERS
Fran (she/her) - ouwelf01@gmail.com Andy (he/him) - ouwelf02@gmail.com
ASEXUALITY/AROMANTICISM REP
Leanne (they/them) - ouacearo@gmail.com
BI/PAN REP Callum (he/him) - oubipan@gmail.com
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CLASS REP
Izzy (they/she) - ouclassrep@gmail.com
DISABILITIES REP
AJ (she/her) - oudisab@gmail.com
FAITH REPS
Lizzy (she/her) - oufaith01@gmail.com Ims (he/him) - oufaith02@gmail.com
GRADUATE REPS
Jessi (she/her) - ougradu01@gmail.com Liam (he/him) - ougradu02@gmail.com
INTERNATIONAL REPS
Brandon (he/him) - ouinternat@gmail.com Saz (they/them) - ouinternat02@gmail.com
NON-BINARY/GENDER NON-CONFORMING REPS Pax (they/them) - ouenby01@gmail.com Katie (they/them) - ouenby02@gmail.com
RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITIES REPS
Savannah (she/her) - ouraem01@gmail.com Harman (he/him) - ouraem02@gmail.com
TRANS REPS
Elliot (he/they) - outrans01@gmail.com Juliet (she/her) - outrans02@gmail.com
WOMEN'S REP
Nicole (she/her) - ouwomoff@gmail.com
SECRET FACEBOOK GROUPS
for their respective identities. Nobody All our identity reps run secret Facebook groups
outside of the group will be able to discover that you’re a member, and they’re a great way to keep up to date with events the rep is organising and to connect with others in the community! Just send the relevant identity rep an email and they’ll be able to add you.
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GENERAL EVENTS Hi freshers, I’m Joe (he/him) and I’ll be your Social Secretary for the first two terms of your time here at Oxford! We put on a huge range of events every term for Oxford’s LGBTQ+ community and its allies. The best way to keep up to date with what’s going on is by checking out our Facebook page or signing up to our mailing list to receive our weekly newsletter! Following a strange (but still amazing) year of online quizzes, game tournaments and zoom socials, we’re looking forward to seeing you all back in person for our events. Our popular weekly drinks event, Tuesday Drinks, will be making a comeback in Michaelmas! It’s held on a Tuesday because afterwards, Plush, Oxford’s LGBTQ+ Club holds Skittles, its student night. But don’t worry, even if clubbing isn’t your thing, you are as welcome as anyone at Tuesday Drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic!). It’s a great way to meet new people within the LGBTQ+ community and because it’s held at a different College each week you get to know lots of different parts and people of Oxford too! Some of my plans for the coming (and hopefully a bit more normal) year, include: - Competitions for who can get the most people repping their college - More music and dress themes (and prizes for effort!) - Cool cocktails (and mocktails) for specific nights We’re also planning on hosting a variety of other non-alcoholic events including film screenings, guest speakers and game nights, with regular identity-specific events hosted by our team of identity representatives (both online and in-person), so get excited and watch this space (and by that I mean our Facebook and Insta!). To make sure our larger speaker events (which we hold for LGBTQ+ History Month but also all year round!) are still accessible, we will be continuing to host them online or streaming them so that they can be watched at home!
KEEP IN TOUCH
become a member of OULGBTQ+ Society by signing up to our mailing list! During term time you'll receive a weekly round up of events & info!
@OULGBTQ www.oulgbtq.org/signup
www.facebook.com/OULGBTQ
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IDENTITY EVENTS ACE/ARO
BI/PAN
CLASS
DISABILITIES
Hello friends! My name is Leanne, and I’m your Asexuality/Aromanticism Rep. You can contact me at ouacearo@gmail.com to sign up for the mailing list or join the private Facebook group, where I’ll keep you updated on weekly Aexualiteas, an informal space where you can meet other ace/aro/questioning people over tea and snacks. I’m also hoping to host a few more social and educational events in collaboration with other reps!
Hi all :) I'm Callum, your bi/pan rep and resident dice goblin. If you want to contact me about anything then my soc email is oubipan@gmail.com . The Facebook group might be a bit quiet but that's where I'll be updating people on upcoming events and I may start posting pictures of my pets in a last-ditch effort to boost engagement. Speaking of events, I want to run another ttrpg (think D&D) one-shot or two; organise some arts and crafts and maybe a picnic. I might even do a quiz (other suggestions are welcome). You'll probably see me around at Tuesday drinks, other soc events or procrastinating at the Jolly Farmers, so feel free to come say hello!
Hey everyone! I’m Izzy, and as Class Rep I help to integrate those at the intersection of LGBTQ+ and working class identities with the wider society, by offering support both online and at in-person events – do please reach out with questions & concerns by emailing me at ouclassrep@gmail.com . I aim to organise community events several times a term, and Michaelmas plans currently include pizza and welfare tea, as well as being a friendly face at “Tuesgays” drinks, so look out for more information!
Hi! I’m AJ (she/her) and I am your disabilities rep this year, helping make sure that all events (not just disabilities events) are accessible and providing support for anyone with disability/access concerns. I will organise some DisabiliTeas and also some drop in sessions for more 121 support. Hope to see you around and I can be contacted on oudisab@gmail.com for any questions or to join the mailing list/ private FB group.
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FAITH
GRADUATE
INTERNATIONAL
Hiya everybody! We are Ims and Lizzy, the faith reps! We organise events each term for anyone in the Oxford LGBTQ+ community that identifies as a person of faith, or is curious! We have run various things in the past, such as brunches, picnics, creative nights, and discussion and speaker events. We will publish a term card to let you know about all the faith events occurring - this will be on the soc mailing list, as well as the facebook groups - on that note, we have a private facebook group, Oxford LGBTQ+ people of faith, do drop us a message to be added. We will also be floating around at various soc events, and are excited to meet you! Finally, if you ever want a chat about anything, we are both available on our emails above!
Hi everyone! We are Jess and Liam, your grad reps. We organise events around the graduate community every term and look forward to seeing you at some of them. The events range from brunch, lunch and dinners to our regular night out on Fridays which is followed by Plush. Our events will be listed in the term card which you will get via the soc mailing list and the respective facebook group. To get access to the private facebook group, drop us an email and we will add you. You can always contact us via our emails if you have any questions or concerns.
Hi everyone! We are Saz and Brandon, the international reps! We host events of all sorts from socials to more academic discussions on international LGBTQ+ issues. There is a private Facebook group, feel free to e-mail us if you’d like to join it! Of course, you’re also welcome to e-mail or message us anytime if you have questions about Soc or being at Oxford as an international LGBTQ+ student. We’ll post information about the biweekly events which we organise each term, including picnics, group outings and speaker events in the Facebook group, so make sure to join it!
Hello: we’re are Pax and Katie and we are your NonBinary/Gender Non-Conforming Reps this year! Over the next few terms, we are planning to run a variety of events, from brunches, to club nights, as well as arts + craft sessions, quizzes and picnics. We are so excited to meet some of you at these events and please feel free to get in touch!
NON-BINARY/GNC
You can contact us on our emails if you have any questions, want to chat about anything or have any suggestions for events we can run! Our events are open to anyone who identifies as nonbinary, gender non-conforming, or gender questioning!
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RAEM
Hey Freshers! It’s your RAEM Reps here! Worried about making friends and wanting to find people with similar experiences to you? Look no further - we will be introducing a buddy scheme so that people of diverse racial and ethnic background has the chance to meet someone like-minded to attend the LGBT events with? Over the few terms we are planning to put on a selection of exciting events from a Games Night at the board game cafe, to RAEM movie nights and socials with free food and more! We will have non-alcoholic events and Everyone of all racial, gender and sexual identities are welcome at our events!
Hi all! We're Elliot and Juliet, your trans reps this year! You can contact us via our emails to be added to the private Facebook group & Discord server, where we have one-to-one support and announce most of our events.
TRANS
WOMEN'S
We will put on regular events throughout the term, open to anyone who identifies as trans, nb, or gender questioning! In previous terms, we’ve run brunches, creative spaces, picnics, speaker events and more: spaces to be supported, to socialise, and to learn. Michaelmas plans include a clothes swap, a relaunched and refreshed weekly tea gathering, and some more informal creative events. Look out for more info in the coming weeks! Above all, our job is to make sure Oxford and the LGBTQ+ Society are inclusive and safe spaces for people, no matter their gender identity or expression! We are both available if you ever want to chat about anything as well!
Hi, I'm Nicole, your Women's rep! Women’s events are a really lovely way to meet people in the LGBTQ+ community. Our events are very relaxed and full of wonderfully friendly people. Whether you prefer prosecco picnics (non-alcoholic options are always provided, but I couldn’t sacrifice the alliteration) or craft brunches, there’s probably a women’s event for you! This year, we’ll be bringing back past favorite events like our pizza night and film screenings and hopefully get back into the swing of club nights. There will usually be one women’s event a week, so be sure to check our facebook page or weekly email to get the details!
Hi there! We're Fran and Andy, your Welfare Reps for the year! We're always available with a listening ear at on our emails linked above or through facebook! In addition to this we both host weekly drop ins and a variety of events such as welfare brunches, crafts sessions and the monthly cookie fairy!
WELFARE 10
AT THE UNIVERSITY SU LGBTQ+ CAMPAIGN The LGBTQ+ Campaign is the political campaigning arm of the Oxford LGBTQ+ community, focused more on lobbying and activism. It is supported by the Oxford University Students Union (OUSU) but is free to form its own policy and chooses which issues to focus on. It is a distinct organisation from the OU LGBTQ+ Society, with its own mailing list, committee and meetings, but we work together on shared aims! It is run by its two co-chairs, Elliot and Pax, whom you can contact at lgbtqchair@oxfordsu.ox.ac.uk about any issues affecting you as an individual, your college, the wider university or any societies you might be involved in, that you feel deserve campaign’s attention. Their job is to fight for you so don’t be afraid to get in touch or to check out the events they’ll be running!
COLLEGES Most colleges have an LGBTQ+ Rep as part of the JCR Committee. It is their responsibility to ensure that your college is as inclusive and supportive as possible for all LGBTQ+ students. They usually put on college-based events, and often organise a group to come to larger LGBTQ+ society events, such as Tuesday Drinks. They are there to promote LGBTQ+ specific welfare services and can listen sensitively about any LGBTQ+ issues you may have. In addition to LGBTQ+ Reps, your college will have peer support trained students who are available to talk to about any problems you may be having. Most colleges have students trained to specifically support LGBTQ+ students, and these are called Rainbow Peers. Your college may provide alternative safe sex provisions such as dental dams, sex toy disinfectant and lube to promote an inclusive environment, and many also have a Gender Expression Fund to help students buy gender affirming items such as binders and packers. For specific information about what your college provides for its LGBTQ+ students, contact either your LGBTQ+ Representative or your Equality and Diversity Rep!
QUEER-WEEK In the sixth week of Michaelmas, Wadham College opens its doors for Queerweek, a celebration and exploration of LGBTQ+ culture and issues globally! The week is full of talks, panels, film screenings and concludes with Queerfest, a massive LGBTQ+ party in the Wadham Gardens. Previous themes for the week have been ‘Pride is a Protest: 50 years since stonewall’ and ‘Pride in a Pandemic: race, riots and the rainbow’.
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AROUND THE CITY PUBS & CLUBS THE JOLLY FARMERS The Jolly Farmers is Oxford’s oldest gay pub, located on Paradise Street by the Westgate shopping centre. It’s full of character with lots of hidden curiosities and a super relaxed vibe. With a gorgeous beer garden, a pub dog called Sherlock, and a monthly pub quiz in collaboration with Oxford Pride, it’s a great and inclusive place to chill out and catch-up with friends! Last year, the Jolly Farmers very kindly gave us exclusive use of their garden space to host our brunches and socials so we will likely be having lots more socials there in the coming year!
PLUSH Plush is Oxford’s main and most central LGBTQ+ venue, located underground just off of Cornmarket Street. Over the past year, Plush has been operating as a Cocktail bar, but it has now reopened its doors as a club! During term, Plush runs a student club night called Skittles every Tuesday, and it’s the ideal place to head after our Tuesday Drinks social ends. Cake, a club night for queer women and non-binary people, is also hosted at Plush once per term - our Women’s Rep usually runs a pre-drinks for this!
THE BULLY The Bullingdon Club (more commonly known as the Bully) is a club located on Cowley Road, a bit further out than the other venues, but it’s worth the trek! Once a term, The Bully is transformed for ‘Haute Mess’ a wild and wonderful themed drag night full of local drag talent.
OXFORD PRIDE Oxford Pride is a celebration of LGBTQ+ life in Oxfordshire. They host events throughout the year to promote awareness of LGBTQ+ issues and they aim to provide information, education and entertainment to the whole community. The highlight of Oxford Pride is the annual festival on the first weekend in June which starts with a colourful community march through the city centre. After two years of online festivities, Oxford Pride are hoping to bring back the in person march and events!
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GLITTERBALL Glitterball 2017 was both Oxford University's and the UK's first ever LGBTQ+ Ball. After a 4year break, they’re back, ready to reclaim the world-renowned tradition of the Oxford Ball for the LGBTQ+ community. The event will take place on 21st January 2022 and will welcome 650+ guests to the prestigious Oxford Town Hall for a spectacular night of entertainment, dancing and embracing diversity and self-love. Entertainment, food, and an abundance of drink are included in the ticket price (£89)! They’ve already released their early bird tickets but their General Release will be on Monday, 11th October, at 7pm!
RAINBOW PARENTING
The rainbow parenting scheme is a buddy system similar to college parenting where we match up freshers with upper year students. These older students can then introduce their rainbow children to the LGBTQ+ community at Oxford on a collegiate and university-wide level. The matches are done by our very own Rainbow Stalk! The Rainbow Family matching process will continue throughout Michaelmas term with the form reopening during 0th week, and with matches being released midway through term and before 0th week of Hilary term - so don't worry if you haven't signed up yet, there is still time! More information and the signup forms are available on our website at: http://www.oulgbtq.org/rainbow-parenting-scheme.html
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SOCIETY FUNDS GENDER EXPRESSION FUND The Gender Expression Fund aims to financially assist students in purchasing products to help alleviate gender dysphoria. We can provide up to £50 of reimbursements per term! The application form and more information about the process can be found on our website: http://www.oulgbtq.org/gender-expression-fund.html Some colleges offer their own Gender Expression Funds in addition to ours so make sure to check with your college LGBTQ+ Rep about the additional support you can get from them!
COMMUNITY FUND The Community Fund has been established to fund projects that will benefit the long-term welfare of LGBTQ+ people in Oxford. Applications are open for all students and forms are available on our website: http://www.oulgbtq.org/community-fund.html Past projects funded by the Community Fund include a pop-up barbers specifically for transgender and non-gender conforming members of Oxford’s LGBTQ+ community, and a panel event about the experiences of LGBTQ+ people of colour.
SKILLS FUND Our brand new fund that is still in development is being set up to facilitate skills development and employability for the LGBTQ+ community! We hope to partner with service providers to give students discounted or free access to a variety of certificated activities such as sign language classes and first aid qualifications. Join our LGBTQ+ Careers Facebook page for opportunities and future updates!
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OUR PARTNERS...
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WHAT'S ON AT THE JF:
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NOTES
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OULGBTQ+ SOCIETY'S FRESHERS' GUIDE 2021/22 PRODUCED BY CLAY NASH