We love sport here at UCLan Students’ Union. Whether it’s competing in BUCS, joining an SUL Team or even just a friendly kickabout with a group of mates, sports can really bring people together. However, we understand that sport isn’t for everyone – and not just because of our likes and dislikes for activities we get involved in.
For the Trans* Community, sport can present certain barriers which make it difficult for those who identify as Trans* or genderfluid to participate and get involved.
As your Students’ Union, we want to better understand our Trans* Community and ensure they have the opportunity to get involved in our activities in a safe, inclusive and supportive environment.
We have now added some information onto our website, including the British Universities & College Sports (BUCS) policy for transgender athletes playing competitive sport, and plan to work with our Sports Club Committees, members and coaches to better understand equality, diversity and inclusion and ensure all members have the best experience.
You can access the information by heading to the ‘Supporting Trans* Students in Sport’ section of our website here.
Katie, VP Activities said: “As Vice President Activities I want to ensure that we better represent our Trans* and Gender-fluid students within our sport and activity. We want our activity to be a positive safe environment which is inclusive for all students.
This is just the start and I know there’s a lot more work to be done going forward. At next week’s Students’ Council meeting (24th February 2022), I’ll be talking through my recent Big Idea to hopefully pass as new Students’ Union policy. If Council pass the Idea I put through the Your Big Ideas platform, it will mean the Students’ Union is mandated to lobby the University to conduct a review of all current University buildings to ensure gender neutral facilities across campus are put in place where possible and that all future building plans include at least one gender neutral toilet.”
If you have any questions about the work we’ll be doing, have any suggestions or feedback about the above, or are interested in joining one of our Sports Clubs or Teams but are unsure about how you might be able to get involved – please contact Katie or our Activities Team who will be more than happy to have a chat with you.
Katie, VP Activities – suactivities@uclan.ac.uk
Activities Team – suteam@uclan.ac.uk