Cheers from London!
Well, that is from my last week in London... it's so wild that this incredible semester is wrapping up into its final week. It seems like 5 months is almost the same as 5 minutes, as time has flown by faster than I could have ever imagined.
This semester I've had the opportunity to continue my work with LGBTQ+ students. Honestly, this is one of my most passionate involvements. As a student who identifies on the LGBTQ+ spectrum (and growing up in the south), I can personally relate to the issues and difficulties that face students like me. While many of our LGBTQ+ family members suffer from inquisitions and death threats throughout the world, one consistent trend among members of our community is that discrimination comes in many forms. It's up to us - and allies - to educate our communities about what it means to be gay, queer, trans, intersex, or however someone identifies.
I would say that my work here in presenting professional development classes and networking events faced less obstacles and challenges than (for example) it would likely face in the United States. However, there still was problems. How do we market our opportunities for students who are not out? How do we extend our reach to students from traditionally under-reached community backgrounds - such as LGBTQ+ people of color or religious groups? These were key questions to address because in order to enact effective change these efforts must be inclusive and all-encompassing.
Our biggest efforts were to recruit diverse speakers from different communities on the Kings College campus and to advertise through different student groups. I really felt like we were able to impact the community that we worked with and I'm so happy that I have had the ability to integrate into the city of London, my university, the LGBTQ+ community here, and truly leave even the tiniest mark on this incredible city!
Now it's (sadly) almost over until I leave... until next time, cheers!