Welcome

Hello to all our fellow LGBTQ students at the University of Birmingham and members of the larger community, and welcome to our website.

This site contains information about our events, campaigns, the services and support we provide to our members, and our work with other Universities and organisations for the benefit of LGBTQ students.

We frequently blog on this page about what’s going on and what we’re up to so check regularly! We welcome any comments/suggestions you may have towards improving the association; either by commenting on posts or pages, or by contacting us directly.

Matt Ward
LGBTQ Officer, Guild of Students

But now we’ve got the proof!

Stonewall recently published their own version of the ‘Good University Guide’. It is a guide for how ‘gay-friendly’ each university around the UK is and is based upon ten areas ranging from staff training and support to events for students. Stonewall also write a review of each university and LGBT association (assuming there is one) and the University of Birmingham and our (not so) humble LGBTQ did rather well. So well in fact that we became the first ever university to get 10/10 from Stonewall – just for being us. So yes, the Times may only put our amazing university in 20th place, but Stonewall have placed us in our rightful position – at the top! So be proud! We are officially the best!

The proof.

Gay Africans are facing increased persecution in a continent where two thirds of countries retain laws against homosexuals. Sorious Samura investigates what it’s like to be gay in Africa.

Dispatches produce another great documentry, definately worth watching!

The LGBTQ Association is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Online, whether it is gaming on Xbox live with your friends or on any of the hundreds of image boards, the online world is full of homophobia.

There seems to be a three way split currently between most people, there are 3 categories:

• The Hardcore Gamers – These people usually fit the stereotype of a ‘gamer’ people who spend more time online than outside. This doesn’t always make them bad people however the effect of spending more time with their TV/Computer than with friends often affects not only their social skills but quite often their physical and mental health. I myself often I fit into this category, I spend a average of 6 Hours on the internet on my computer daily and on one of my games I have spent nearly 9 days of online play since I brought it. This category is normally reserved for men, however in my time online I have met a couple girls who are hardcore gamers too. Traditional examples of ‘hardcore’ games include FPS (First person shooter) MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game).
• The Casual Gamers – These people are probably the most hated group by the non-gamers and the hardcore gamers for a few reasons. The hardcore gamers believe that casual gaming is reserved for the ‘weak’ people who are not very good at gaming and buy games not for their game play but for their ‘fun’. The non-gamers usually put both of these gamers into the same lump of ‘anyone who plays a game’ as people who are wasting brain cells and their own time. The casual gamers see hardcore gamers as people who get obsessed by games whilst the non-gamers are people who are afraid of technology and killjoys. Examples of these types of casual games are getting more common with the introduction of handheld consoles (Nintendo 3Ds) and the most controversial console, the Wii.
• The Non-Gamers – These are people that believe that gaming is a waste of time and brain cells. They believe that there are too many other things to be doing than wasting time online/playing games. Sometimes these people have been gamers and had bad experiences of online play and given up on it and sometimes they are scared of new technology or believe that it really does kill brain cells and social skills.

There are of course games that transcend multiple categories of gamers, for example, racing games are both played by the casual and hardcore gamers as are adventure games and RPGs (Role Playing Games).

Now what does this have to do with homophobia?

Homophobia is deeply rooted in online games and the internet. A simple visit to any of the internet’s image boards and you will discover the huge amount of homophobia that is all over the internet. Behind the veil of the internet people let their true feelings show. This unfortunately shows us how much work is still left to change people’s views on homosexual behaviour.

The Gaymer Survey, conducted at the University of Illinois and involving over 10,000 respondents, found that gay gamers experienced a high level of homophobic attitudes and language.

Eighty-eight per cent of respondents said that they had heard the phrase “that’s so gay”, while 84 per cent said that the word ‘gay’ had been used in a derogatory way.

Over half of the respondents felt that gays were stereotyped, 52 per cent found gaming worlds to be hostile to gay and lesbian gamers and 42 per cent felt that gays were under-represented.

Only a minority of participants (nine per cent) claimed that they had never encountered anti-gay remarks.

This has been noticed by the gaming manufacturers and they are working towards equality in gaming, for example the Sims, a game where you control people’s lives has been a leader in promoting gay rights, and is always the first to allow the player to make homosexual relationships. Xbox Live is now forcing its game manufacturers to keep in line with its new equality rules.

Fable 3, due to come out soon will allow you to impregnate your friends in co-op mode on Xbox live. But with fable history of being able to have homosexual relationships the chance of adopting being integrated in the game is a definite possibility.

The online world and the gaming community is a big part of society but is mostly completely ignored by government unless a game is too controversial, for example ‘No Russian’ Scene in modern warfare 2 and all of the GTA games. This means that the manufacturers have nearly all of the control of how progressive the games are.

Unfairness can be seen in Mass effect 2 where you can have a lesbian relationship but not a gay male one. This sparked controversy among many ‘gaymers’ the girls and straight males were delighted whilst the gay men were a little bit more miffed at the developers of ME2.

There is a brilliant way to catch up on gay game news, via podcast

We have no real power as gamers to force companies to change their ways, the American gamers vastly outnumber the British gamers and the deep root of homophobia created by most of these Americans will always make online play hard for out gay people. All the power we have is our buying power, by not buying homophobic games and complaining to the moderators online we can slowly get rid of homophobic behaviour.

A topic which is often discussed at the LGBTQ is the feminism movement. We are an association which has an active involvement in cross-liberation campaigns, and I find that the oppressors of LGBTQ people are often the same whose actions support a patriarchal society where women do not have equal opportunities as men. As many people self-define as both female and LGBT or Q it is only natural that they may feel doubly oppressed by society and therefore take a strong stance in supporting feminism. However as the middle-class white male who, were it not for my homosexuality, has the ‘ideal’ conditions to be free from opportunity-limiting discrimination – am I or could I qualify to comprehend the feminist cause and speak on the behalf or question the views of my female peers? I would definitely not be the first to have tried. I don’t believe it’s possible to prove whether or not one person can ever understand issues faced by another gender, however I can and will look at how men before myself have gotten involved with feminism.

Historically, the male response to the feminism has fallen into three main categories: the patriarchal masculist, the profeminist, and the antifeminist – all of which have been around for quite a while.

The patriarchal masculist view is that which supports a patriarchal society in the opinion that it works and is fair. These masculists will argue that men should go out to work to be the breadwinners so that their partners can live easier lives at home. It is their view that women are liberated enough by being free to visit friends and spend time with children. They believe that the feminist movement is harmful for the stability of the nuclear family and detrimental to the position of man in society.  I found a website which describes the ideologies of patriarchal masculism named ‘Why feminism is a farce’. I would describe it as… interesting – but I do expect a forehead vein or two to pop.

It is worth noting that progressive masculism is distinctly different from patriarchal masculism; progressive masculism is a term used to describe the liberation of men from their stereotypical gender roles and does not necessarily conflict with feminism.

The antifeminist is not necessary against female liberation, but may question the methods used by feminists to achieve liberation, believe that the movement can not achieve liberation, that female liberation is already achieved, or that female liberation has gone too far and men are now the oppressed.  It is somewhat a vague term and hence leads to seemingly oxymoronic ‘antifeminist profeminists’ who strive to further the liberation of women but do not agree with the methods commonly utilised to accomplish equality – for example a topic often up for debate between feminists and antifeminists  is the use of positive discrimination with the intention of reaching gender equality.

The profeminist has existed for a long time. Several male Greek philosophers and playwrights would suggest that a perfect society would be one where everybody had equal opportunity regardless of gender. As society has historically repressed the voices of women, the vast majority of early feminists were actually men. There were unfortunately too few and unheard to change how the world worked. More men began to realise that equality between the sexes was necessary during the abolitionist movement against the slave trade. Women were forbidden from attending one particular World Anti-Slavery Convention in London; many abolitionists refused to vote, stating it was hypocritical that men and women were to be separated in the same way that the whites and blacks were being separated. The patriarchal masculists argued that it was unfair to subject women to ‘dirty’ topics normally designated to men for discussion. A profeminist, Thomas Wentworth Higginson, responded:

“I do not see how any woman can avoid a thrill of indignation when she first opens her eyes to the fact that it is really contempt, not reverence, that has so long kept her sex from an equal share of legal, political, and educational rights…[a woman needs equal rights] not because she is man’s better half, but because she is his other half. She needs them, not as an angel, but as a fraction of humanity.”

As the feminist movement really kicked off during the 19^th and 20^th century, more and more men began to get involved. Men also began to realise that their women were not the only victims of a patriarchal society; in the 1970s, the men’s liberation movement began which attempted to break down gender roles in society and disband patriarchy in the same fashion as the feminism movement. Many of these organisations were seen as patriarchal masculist but several worked hand-in-hand with feminists to change our society and bring about true equality.

Nowadays most men will probably agree with feminists when it comes to having the same voting rights, that the streets should be safe for women, etc. However many men will still shout demeaning comments at women on the street. There are men out there who still objectify women. There is still a split when it comes down to the more radical feminism, or more specifically the tackling and reforming of our patriarchal society. I personally believe society needs to change – I for one am tired of seeing the old white men in charge. I don’t think men need to be selfless to be feminists either – my personal belief is that it comes down to it, men’s and women’s liberation (and most other forms of liberation including LGBT, disabled, black, etc.) are in essence one and the same: the fight for equality and for people to be recognised as just that: a person.

It took long enough, but I’ve finally finished my report on NUS Conference 2010. As it’s my report to the Sabbatical Officer Team it’s written in a personal – rather than passive – context. So, rather than do a copy-paste job and pretentiously assume that the entire LGBTQ agrees with me, I’ve instead opted to link to it on my blog, riiiight HERE.

(This post was inspired by AfterEllen’s recent article on influential celebrity coming out stories)

Why is it so important that LGBTQ celebrities are out and proud in the public eye? In our celebrity-obbsessed culture, the actions of one individual can be hugely influential. It sends out the message that it is normal to be lesbian/bi/gay/trans or queer and that you can still be successful, popular and happy whatever your sexuality or gender status. It also challenges the standard hetronormativity of the media, particularily sterotypes about LGBTQ people. It shows that being LGBTQ is not an exclusive definition of someone’s personality and most importantly, most out LGBTQ celebrities go on to campaign for equality.

However, unfortunately, many LGBTQ stars are held to old-fashioned and rigid double standards. For example, their is the ridiculous and outdated belief that gay men can’t play straight roles, despite the number of straight actors who play gay roles. Their is also the presumption that they are living a sordid lifestyle, as epitomised by Jane Moir’s offensive column on Stephen Gately’s death.  A Bisexual identity may be denied or ignored due to a long term relationship with a person of the opposite sex. LGBTQ celebrities are often pushed into sterotypes, which impacts upon their individualism and therefore the influence of their voice. The medias predominant interest in allowing white, hetrosexual, wealthy men to speak also means that when the boundaries of hetronormativity are pushed, those who are allowed to speak the most are…white, homosexual, wealthy men. Although their visibility can help us as a whole, their is still a great deal more diversity needed in LGBTQ celebrities.

With many celebrities coming out and celebrating their queer-ness recently, The New Yorks Times claims that it’s no big deal. However, many celebrities fear it will diminsh their fanbase and hurt their career. Some are advised not to come out by their managers or are seen as hetrosexual ’sex symbols’ and therefore fear that they can only get work when they are percieved in this way. In our tabloid-based, celebrity romance obsessed society, the impact of coming out upon past tabloid romances can harm both parties. Therefore, it is often harder for celebrities to come out than it appears and some feel that is has harmed their career (however, how this can be blamed on being open about your sexuality and not on your acting or film choices remains to be seen!).

In my view, being in a public role carries a responsibility to set an example. In the words of Harvey Milk: ‘I hope that every professional gay will say ‘enough’, come forward and tell everybody, wear a sign, let the world know.’