What is Transgender Awareness Week?
Transgender Awareness Week is a week when transgender people and their allies take action to bring attention to the community by educating the public about who transgender people are, sharing stories and experiences, and advancing advocacy around the issues of prejudice, discrimination, and violence that affect the transgender community.
As a University community, we stand in solidarity with our trans colleagues, students and friends, and are pleased to share a number of great resources available to educate and empower our community to show their allyship. Read on for more information about transgender identities, pronouns and their use, as well as the importance of recognising Transgender Awareness Week and the actions taken in this space to reflect our inclusive values.
Gender, Sex and Expression - What are the differences?
You can read in-depth about sex, gender and expression via The Genderbread Person site, which features a brilliant collection of resources explaining each of these concepts in more detail - with helpful diagrams included. You'll find information on how people outwardly express their gender identity through clothing and demeanour, how gender is differentiated from sex and also how sexual attraction is often perceived in gendered ways and conflated with sex and gender. There are also downloadable information packs that you can share with your friends and colleagues to boost their knowledge.
Pronouns - How and when do I use them?
Earlier this year, the Culture and Inclusion (C&I) team published Pronouns and Inclusivity Guidance which advises on the importance of using someone's correct pronouns, guidance on when to ask for them and best practice encouraged by the University. You can also find helpful and informative infographics on the the519 website, which gives specific guidance tailored to employers on pronouns, how to support trans colleagues and creating a welcoming environment for trans people.
Allyship - Being an LGBTQ+ and Equality ally
The University offers a range of resources advising on how to best demonstrate allyship, including Being an Equality Ally training and LGBTQ+ Allyship (provided by Student Support). It's important not to make assumptions - particularly about someone's gender, which can cause distress and discomfort for trans people - and familiarise yourself with the history and language of the LGBTQ+ community to understand why we must be vocal in our support. You can also find a good (but not exhaustive!) list of terms on the YouthEngaged4Change site.
Additional Resources
Hopefully this blog has given you a flavour of all the ways we can expand our knowledge and support of the trans community, as well as the ways in which the University of Bath advocates for our trans colleagues and friends. If you'd like to take your learning further, we highly recommend making use of these other great sources of information:
- The Safe Zone Project free online course
- TransWhat? Allyship Guide
- UoB Kaleidoscope's 'Being a Trans Ally' info pack
When everyone is committed to understanding and learning more about marginalised communities, it makes the most vulnerable of our society not only feel seen, but safer, too. For Trans Awareness Week 2022 we kindly encourage you to check one or more of the fantastic resources listed in this blog and play a role in making our community even better for trans people, so that everyone can live as their authentic selves.
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