LGBTUA+ only flats introduced by Sheffield University cause division in opinion

The University of Sheffield will be offering LGBT-only flats for the 2018-2019 academic year. 30 students have already applied for the 12 rooms, and plans to expand the flats in the next academic year are underway.

Sheffield joins other institutions such as Georgetown University – the oldest Catholic University in the United States – to introduce LGBTUA+ accommodation.

The LGBTUA+ only flats were introduced by Sheffield’s student union following concerns that gay and transgender students suffer from “bullying and harassment” when living in mainstream accommodation.

Stonewall, an LGBTUA+ charity, reported in April that 42 per cent of LGBTUA+ university students hide their sexual orientation or gender identity, fearing discrimination. 33 per cent of trans students face negative comments and conduct from university staff because they were LGBTUA+.

The plan has been met with both praise and criticism. Accommodation for Students, the largest university accommodation service in the UK, called the plan “madness” for fuelling student segregation by explicitly banning heterosexual students.

Director Simon Thompson told The Telegraph: “University is about opening your horizons and meeting people from different cultures, different backgrounds, different sexualities, everything. I think it’s a disadvantage if people close themselves off and don’t socialise with straight people.”

His concern extends to racial segregation on campus, after student housing blocks in Manchester, London, and Liverpool have become informally known as “Chinese-only”, where Chinese students live away from their white British classmates.

University is about opening your horizons and meeting people from different cultures, different backgrounds, different sexualities, everything. I think it’s a disadvantage if people close themselves off and don’t socialise with straight people

– Simon Thompson

Celeste Jones, the SU women’s officer at Sheffield University who campaigned for the LGBTUA+ only flats, told The Sunday Telegraph: “By no means is this accommodation compulsory, nor do we wish to encourage segregation.”

She added: “Even if just a tiny fraction of LGBTUA+ students feel this will benefit their university experience then we feel it is all entirely worthwhile. The offer allows our students the choice of living with people from the LGBTUA+ community and offers a safe space for students to be themselves.”

A spokeswoman for the University also added that the flats are situated next to non-LGBTUA+ accommodations buildings to avoid segregation.

Stonewall said that Sheffield’s LGBTUA+ only accommodation would help gay and transgender students “in the short term”, since addressing homophobia on campus “is also about changing the wider culture to be inclusive and accepting of all people”.

Regarding the plan, Jess Hughes, President of Warwick Pride, said: “I completely support the concept of LGBT+ only student halls as they will provide a much needed safe space for LGBT+ students to be themselves, and to live without fear of harassment and bullying.

“Furthermore there is nothing preventing LGBT+ students living in other halls if they wish and I believe many will continue to do so.”

Some LGBTUA+ students from Warwick Pride supported the idea, particularly for trans students, since living in mainstream accommodation, they said,  led to “weird looks” when their partners were present and faced health issues and inconvenience as those who bind “had to wear a binder every single day”.

I completely support the concept of LGBT-only student halls as they will provide a much needed safe space for LGBT+ students to be themselves, and to live without fear of harassment and bullying

– Jess Hughs

They also said that they had neighbours who “regularly made transphobic comments” which made them feel unsafe in their own home, felt they had to refrain from wearing “remotely feminine” clothes to avoid “misgendering”, and had to educate housemates about being non-binary, which was “exhausting”.

Having been “completely isolated” in their first year, some students added that living around other LGBTUA+ people made things “much more social”, and they could come out “without worrying about social repercussions”. One student argued that segregation causes a huge “gap”, since lectures and almost “every other aspect” of university is not separated.

Other students expressed disagreement with the proposal by Sheffield University. A trans non-binary student at Warwick said: “I think it’s a terrible idea to start having Queer-only halls. Letting Queer students have their own Halls would essentially start creating ‘ghettos’ where people head to their Queer flat and never leave, as opposed to mixing and exploring…It would take so much value and beauty out of the University experience.

“I would fully support an open and inclusive Pride Society holding specific events only for non-binary people, so long as these are specific events held by societies which are otherwise totally open. A reason should be given to other members why they are not allowed to attend. People can also request for LGBTUA flatmates on the accommodation form.”

Another student said: “An LGBT-only hall would create yet another wall between communities, adding to an ‘us versus them’ mentality that is still going strong thanks to the number of LGBT exclusive spaces that exist.

“Also, there’s the issue of quality. If the halls are nice, it could bar lower income students from entering, when these are typically the students who’ve had to deal with more homophobia in their lives and would benefit most from a safe-space. If the halls aren’t nice, it becomes another reason for mockery.”

One student shared that after their housemates got to know them, they “realised their mistakes” concerning gay and transgender individuals and became less “ignorant”. Others cited issues such as “identity policing” if students begin to “exploit” the provision.