One community

One

community

Over the last four years, St Hilda’s College has made many steps to be more welcoming of LGBTQIA+ students. A queer group was established, creating a safe space for students to be themselves and raise concerns. This initial movement kick started a lot of change and made many queer students feel at home at Hilda’s.

2021 queer representative, Casey, felt welcomed by former rep and the community’s efforts to cater for queer diversity. They said, “having been given a space to be myself, I wanted everyone to feel as included and that’s what I aimed to do in the role.”

During 2021, Casey organised several events for both queer and ally students to enjoy. On International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), many students participated in a pride netball round robin tournament. This promoted queer diversity in sport, especially when the atmosphere is very heteronormative. Wear it Purple Day is annually celebrated and raises awareness about queer youth. On this day, many students showed their support by wearing purple and getting involved in crafts and other activities scattered around college campus. To finish the day, some current students shared their queer experience with the college in a Q and gAy panel session. The final event was called Pride Night. Originally planned to run in May due to Pride month being in June, the event aimed to promote LGBTQIA+ diversity and give allied students insight to queer culture. Students dressed up in colourful attire and Casey gave an insightful speech about queer history, drag, and their personal experience. This touching delivery was followed by a performance by drag queen, Avril La Trene. Many students enjoyed the evening and said it was their favourite event of the year. In the role, Casey also pushed for changes to college culture to better support LGBTQIA+ students. This included changing the gendered bathroom signs so the College’s gender diverse students felt more welcome. Casey also worked with Brenda and James to ensure all staff undergoes allyship training.

Wear it Purple Day

Pride netball

“I am excited to see the college continue to grow and be a safe space for queer students that choose to call this place their home.”

Casey Casimaty

Queer Representative 2021