U.T.S. Is Gender-Aware

Make The Most Of It!

by Michelle Sparks & Joni Gear

(The Gender Centre advise that this article may not be current and as such certain content, including but not limited to persons, contact details and dates may not apply. Where legal authority or medical related matters are cited, responsibility lies with the reader to obtain the most current relevant legal authority and/or medical publication.)

While we are aware that "transphobia" still exists, even at times within the queer community, we are working with the Gender Centre to help foster more genuine diversity.

Studying at University can lead to some fantastic and interesting new adventures. You can meet some great people, have a fabulous time dodging classes here and there, struggling to make financial ends meet, but eventually come out, having regurgitated a lot of information, with that special piece of paper, affectionately known as the degree.

But what if you're transgendered or intersex? Or if you are questioning your gender identity? Or your sexual identity? Or both? For some, this can add additional hurdles to the University experience. The O.U.T.S. Action Collective at University of Technology Sydney (U.T.S.) is here to help!

The O.U.T.S. Action Collective is a collective funded under the U.T.S. Students' Association, and provides support and resources for all transgendered students, intersex students and those questioning their gender identity. The Collective also caters for gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, queer and questioning students, and also acknowledges that sexuality and gender are different matters.

We are a creative, enthusiastic and dedicated group of students. As the queer political activist group at U.T.S., we work closely with the queer social group, Out-2-Party. There's a lot of cross participation - because all work and no play makes Johnny or Joni a very dull individual!

While we are aware that "transphobia" still exists, even at times within the queer community, we are working with the Gender Centre to help foster more genuine diversity. We work to create safe and welcoming spaces at U.T.S., and within wider society, for all who identify as queer. This is partly achieved by raising our visibility and providing opportunities for our members and the wider U.T.S. community to become informed on queer issues.

Each year in August we put on Sexuality Week, which is a major event, practically taking over the University There are stalls, show bags, workshops and forums on as many queer topics as possible, as well as plenty of fun and frivolity. Last year our theme was "Visibility, Awareness, Safety" and we had a huge response. Anna Lawarik, who is involved in the Justice Action campaign for the rights of transgendered people in prison, attended on behalf of The Gender Centre and conducted a workshop on transgender issues. Loads of questions were answered so together we were definitely achieving our aims. We're looking forward to an even bigger and better event this year, so if anyone out there is keen to present a workshop, forum or activity please don't be shy about getting in touch!

We started off this academic year with, of course, participation in the Mardi Gras Parade. We helped organise a combined universities entry which was a fantastic success. There were 145 students from U.T.S. alone! We marched together with queer students from sixteen other Australian universities, calling for rights and recognition!

To further raise awareness, we recently published an article in the U.T.S. student newspaper, Vertigo. Drawing on resources from the Gender Centre and elsewhere, the article was aimed at the entire student readership. It sought to educate readers on some of the issues faced by transgender and intersex students and reinforced their right to an education free from discrimination.

O.U.T.S. also provides a safe space for transgendered, intersex, gay, lesbian and bisexual students. It is a comfortable small lounge room with back issues of Polare, and copies of fact sheets relating to gender and intersex issues. There are also heaps of safe sex materials and information.

O.U.T.S. aims to defend the rights of all transgendered and intersex students at U.T.S., and we believe that all people should be empowered to live the gender they choose, including the gender intersex. We're here to speak out against discrimination and to provide queer and questioning students with materials and access to information. We are a voice for you on campus and we want you to get involved with our Collective to help make transgendered and intersex issues on campus visible ... as well as having fun in the meantime!

Our Collective Office Bearers, Simon, Miguel and Joni can be contacted at the Students' Association on 9514-1155 and we meet on Friday evenings in the Queer Space lounge on Level 3 of the main U.T.S. Tower building. Or visit us at our website. We look forward to seeing you!

Polare is published in Australia by The Gender Centre Inc. which is funded by the Department of Community Services under the S.A.A.P. Program and supported by the N.S.W. Health Department through the AIDS and Infectious Diseases Branch. Polare provides a forum for discussion and debate on gender issues. Advertisers are advised that all advertising is their responsibility under the Trade Practices Act. Unsolicited contributions are welcome, though no guarantee is made by the Editor that they will be published, nor any discussion entered into. The editor reserves the right to edit such contributions without notification. Any submission which appears in Polare may be published on our internet site. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor, The Gender Centre Inc.I, the Department of Community Services or the N.S.W. Department of Health.