Update: trans and non-binary talk/conversation; History Month opportunities

Reminder: Equality elephant in the room: trans and non-binary identities

A new series of equality conversations/talks called ‘Equality elephant in the room’ is being coordinated by Equality Adviser Marije Davidson, Equality Champions Dr Liesl King, Andy Law and Steve Patterson, and YSJActive Instructor Martin Bond. The sessions are open to all staff, and are intended to be an accessible introduction to various equality and diversity topics, as well as a safe space in which to learn, ask questions and discuss the issues.

The first of these sessions will be on trans and non-binary identities and will be facilitated by Andy Law (LGBT Staff Network Secretary and York LGBT History Month Lead Coordinator) and Kit Heyam (University of Leeds PhD candidate and York LGBT History Month Outreach Coordinator). The session will cover gender versus sex, trans and non-binary identities and terminology, and provide practical tips and an overview of the challenges that remain.

No need to book – just turn up at 12:30 tomorrow in DG/227. The session will last around 45 minutes.

York LGBT History Month needs your help!

In order to keep growing and developing their work, the York LGBT History Month team need more help. So they’re recruiting!

There are six positions with specific duties available, plus the option of becoming an assistant coordinator for those unable to commit to fulfilling a specific role or wanting to help out in other ways.

For more information, check out the recruitment blog post.

Reminder: Go York lecture: Ruth Hunt

The following is a biography of Ruth Hunt from the Go York lectures page.

Ruth Hunt is Chief Executive of Stonewall, having worked in senior positions at Stonewall since 2011. She has successfully led the development of the organisation’s groundbreaking policy, campaigning and research outputs. These include Stonewall’s pioneering work to tackle homophobic bullying in schools, effective interventions to improve the health of lesbian, gay and bisexual people and Stonewall’s acclaimed leadership development programmes. Ruth has spearheaded efforts on engaging people of faith in Stonewall’s work.

At Stonewall, Ruth has overseen the rapid growth of Stonewall’s public affairs and education teams as well as developing the infrastructure of Stonewall Scotland and Stonewall Cymru. Specifically, she led Stonewall Scotland’s lobbying to secure the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill as well as giving evidence to the Scottish Parliament Equal Opportunities Committee on marriage equality. Ruth has also developed strategic partnerships with organisations such as the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Health, Accenture, McKinsey and the UK Border Agency. Ruth’s expertise has been recognised across the third sector, and she has worked closely with a number of high-profile charities to develop their campaigning functions.

Ruth attended St. Hilda’s College, Oxford where she studied English and was elected President of Oxford University Student Union. Prior to Stonewall, Ruth worked at the Equality Challenge Unit where she led work advising higher education institutions on sexual orientation and gender identity equality.

In 2013, Ruth was voted the fifth most influential LGBT person in Britain in The Independent’s Pink List.

At 18:30 on Thursday 28 May, Ruth will deliver a Go York lecture. To book a ticket, see the Go York lectures page.

Reminder: Stonewall Allies Programme

Human Resources have organised for the Stonewall Allies Programme to be delivered in-house at York St John University. The programme aims to “help individuals think about what it means to be themselves in the workplace and how they can be a more effective and inclusive role model and LGBT ally”.

Allies are those who do not identify as LGBT but believe that LGBT people should have full equality. Allies can play an important role in creating an LGBT-friendly environment; their support can send a strong message to all.

The programme takes place over one day and is open to all allies. At York St John University, it will take place 09:30-17:00 on Wednesday 10 June. To book a place, visit the dedicated staff development page.