LGBTQUIA+ societies call for boycott of University’s Pride Month over trans policy chaos

LGBTQUIA+ societies at Warwick, alongside Students’ Union (SU) representatives, have called for a boycott of Warwick’s Pride Month events, after condemning the University’s handling of its transgender inclusion policies.  

In a joint statement, Warwick Pride, Warwick Trans* Soc, Warwick Sapphic Soc, The Qulture, and Warwick PLAN all criticised the University for perpetrating “institutional transphobia” which seeks to “eradicate the histories of trans people and the reality of Pride Month.”

The societies asserted the need for trans students at Warwick to “feel safe on their own campus and at the events hosted by their University”, adding that Warwick’s Pride celebrations must recognise the historic role of the trans community at the “forefront of activism.”

Calls to boycott Warwick Pride stem from recent concerns surrounding changes to the University’s Trans Inclusion Code of Practice, which was temporarily updated on 12 May, before shortly being taken down.

The University’s “backpedalling” has caused societies and trans rights advocates to express their discontent with the University’s attitudes

The change appeared to state that transgender people would be required to use facilities according to their “sex assigned at birth”, rather than their gender identity. The University subsequently confirmed to PinkNews that the updated policy was published in “error”, apologising for any “pain and upset” caused.

The University has now launched a review of the policy, with a working group made up of staff and students established to review the policies further.

Nevertheless, the University’s “backpedalling” has caused societies and trans rights advocates to express their discontent with the University’s attitudes, stating that the changes reveal “how the University truly feels about protecting minority groups when put under any pressure from external groups”.

The momentary policy change was criticised as an attempt to “target [Warwick’s] own students and staff members”, with advocates asserting that “Warwick cannot pick and choose where it shows solidarity with the LGBTQUIA+ community.”

LGBTQUIA+ societies have stated that they will be “withdrawing from any planned collaborations with the University and ceasing new collaborations”

In previous years, the University’s Pride Festival has collaborated with groups like Warwick Pride to host a variety of LGBTQUIA+ celebration events, including dance workshops, film screenings, drag performances, and poetry readings.

This year, the festival will consist of almost two weeks of events from 31 May to 12 June, promising to include a “wider range of ways to mark Pride” through performances, talks, workshops, and showcases that “inspire self-expression.”

However, LGBTQUIA+ societies have stated that they will be “withdrawing from any planned collaborations with the University and ceasing new collaborations”.

These organisations have promised to work alongside other liberation groups to “organise [their] own series of events that is not tainted by institutional transphobia”, and instead “promote intersectional liberation for all oppressed peoples.”

Warwick’s LGBTQUIA+ societies have also demanded a series of changes from the University to improve trans inclusion, including reinstating their existing transgender policy and apologising to the community for any harm caused.

The EHRC’s guidance outlines the need for workplaces to provide single-sex toilets, and requests that schools ensure that transgender pupils do not access facilities that do not correspond with their ‘biological’ sex

Their statement calls for improved communication with the wider staff and student body, claiming that the University has insufficiently collaborated with “relevant representative groups” including elected SU representatives, societies, and queer members of staff, when constructing policies that concern trans individuals.

The future of trans inclusion policies at Warwick, as well as at other universities, remain uncertain, however. Following the Supreme Court ruling on 16 April that the concept of sex is ‘binary’, and a ‘woman’ is legally defined according to ‘biological sex’ under the Equality Act of 2010, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) issued non-statutory guidance on how these legal changes should be applied to policies and public spaces.

The EHRC’s guidance outlines the need for workplaces to provide single-sex toilets, and requests that schools ensure that transgender pupils do not access facilities that do not correspond with their ‘biological’ sex.

However, as PinkNews reports, this guidance has caused significant confusion, with experts claiming that the policies are “rushed” and “ill-thought through”, adding that they do not accurately clarify how gender-neutral and single-sex spaces should be accessed by the Trans community.

The National Union of Students (NUS) has also made recommendations for students’ unions across the country in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling, encouraging them to be “vocal and visible in support of trans and non-binary students.”

Though not offering legal guidance and instead encouraging students’ unions to “use their own judgement in decision making”, NUS has firmly stood by its assertion that “trans and non-binary people have the right to live freely without discrimination, abuse, violence, or harm”.

Other Warwick societies and organisations have been encouraged to share the official statement and sign the pledge calling for a boycott

In an Instagram statement released earlier this month, Warwick SU acknowledged the likelihood of the University altering its trans policy in line with new legislation, yet maintains its own commitment to a trans-inclusive outlook.

The SU has promised to uphold initiatives such as the Gender Expression Fund, accessible sport, and trans education and awareness. It has proclaimed its dedication to trans rights advocacy within a “hostile environment”, offering a sense of solidarity for LGBTQUIA+ advocates with a promise of “lobbying alongside you”.

Returning to the statement from Warwick’s LGBTQUIA+ groups, they have also placed the struggle to maintain trans-inclusive policies alongside wider liberation efforts, asserting that such social justice movements are “interconnected”.

Contributors to the statement say they are “not surprised” by the University’s handling of trans-inclusive policies given that they “continue to refuse to divest from Israel’s ongoing genocide in Palestine”.

Other Warwick societies and organisations have been encouraged to share the official statement and sign the pledge calling for a boycott. As of 24 May, 24 groups and societies have signed the open letter alongside the LGBTQUIA+ societies.

The University was contacted for comment.