Oxford's biggest student newspaper, produced by and for members of the University of Oxford, since 1991.
Image Description: Sign stating “You will not erase our kids!” in all caps, with sticker that states “I heart my trans child” in upper right corner. This poster expresses a common grievance in LGBTQ+ led protests: the importance, and frequent dismissal of, visibility of members of the LGBTQ+ community. As I traveled from the U.S. […]
Continue Reading
Image Description: Daguerrotype of Emily Dickinson. The poet’s relationship with Susan Gilbert and its romantic overtones have been the subject of erasure as a result of our heteronormative culture. “And They Were… Roommates?” is an ancient meme – by internet standards at least – used to poke fun at academicians for their frequent “straightification” of […]
Continue Reading
“When you’re a boy, you can wear a uniform When you’re a boy, other boys check you out” – David Bowie, Boys Keep Swinging There came a point in my teenage years when, without wishing to sound too self-indulgently maudlin, I reached breaking point with my general cynicism, ennui and discomfort. I wasn’t a bit […]
Continue Reading
Image description: bisexual flag colours of pink, purple and blue painted on canvas Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out” is a queer anthem for a good reason: we never really stop coming out. Of course, there is the main coming out, which typically means your sexuality or gender identity to your family, but even this is […]
Continue Reading
Image description: girl holding flag silhouetted against sunset Disclaimer: What I describe in this article is inspired by my personal and my neurodivergent friends’ experiences with gender identity. Many neurodivergent people are very comfortable with and secure in their gender identity and the fact that their brain works differently does not invalidate who they are. […]
Continue Reading
Image description: Someone holding the asexual pride flag CW: Transphobia, sexual assault Alex* is a student at Oxford University who would describe themselves as being on the asexual spectrum. We met up last week to discuss the experience of being asexual at university over a zoom-coffee (a term I’m sad to admit is actually part of […]
Continue Reading
Image description: rows of neon rainbow lights silhouetting a clock In a video called “Queer Theory”, Youtuber Abigail Thorn (also known as PhilosophyTube) introduced me, and I’m sure plenty of others, to the concept of ‘queer time’, and suddenly my life made a lot more sense. The basic idea is that queer lives do not […]
Continue Reading
Image description: green letters formed vertically against a black background reminiscent of The Matrix “My name, is Neo!” And so marks the end of the transformation of the protagonist of the Wachowski’s breakthrough 1999 film The Matrix from “Thomas A. Anderson” into his true, and freer, self. The Matrix as trans allegory is a well-known and […]
Continue Reading
Image description: a child running with a trans flag with the ground illuminated in rainbow colours TW: transphobia, internalised transphobia, misgendering Disclaimer: this article is written entirely from a binary trans personal perspective. The feelings talked about, whilst possibly shared among multiple binary trans individuals, do not represent how every trans people feels and definitely […]
Continue Reading
Image Description: a row of books seen from above The prominence and popularity of LGBTQ+ fiction has been steadily rising for a number of years, with best-selling books such as Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda spreading across the globe and even being adapted for the big screen. These novels tell important stories and give […]
Continue Reading
Image description: many different Smiths albums scattered over each other CW: xenophobia, transphobia, Holocaust denial A dreaded sunny day So I meet you at the cemetry [sic] gates Keats and Yeats are on your side While Wilde is on mine Cemetry Gates, The Queen Is Dead (1986) A few months ago I was […]
Continue Reading
Image description: two rolls of stickers in a basket which say “They/them/theirs” and “Ze/hir/hirs” on them respectively A few weeks ago, I woke up to an email from my internship supervisor. I was expecting it to be a standard admin job, one of the usual tasks. Instead, I found that the email was asking me […]
Continue Reading
Image Description: Irene and Seulgi from K-Pop girl group Red Velvet at a concert in 2016 CW: mental health issues and homophobia Catchy songs, impressive choreography, well-produced music videos, creative concepts – if you have not at least heard of K-Pop by now, you must be truly living under a rock. South Korean “K-Pop idols”, […]
Continue Reading
Image Description: Two men kissing at the Baltimore Pride Parade block party 2017 TW: Body Image, Eating Disorders From an outside perspective, the idea of the ‘twink’ can be something of a joke. It helps non-LGBTQ+ people to neatly categorise queer people into more easily understandable stereotypes, often with the aim of ridicule. In my […]
Continue Reading
CW: Biphobia Image description: a bisexual pride flag DISCLAIMER: In this piece, I am only speaking to the experiences of myself and those of many other bisexuals I know. Bisexuality is such a broad range of sexuality and experiences that it would be impossible for anyone to speak on behalf of the whole community. Any […]
Continue Reading
Image description: a picture of Jenny and a cat at home CW: transphobia The Oxford Student spoke to Jenny Elizabeth Scoones, a third year English student at Mansfield and pop singer/songwriter about her upcoming single, trans rights in the UK and creating art in a pandemic. Your new single, Always Known, comes out on March […]
Continue Reading
Image Description: A sign in the trans flag colours that reads: ‘Trans misogyny is still misogyny’ CW: transphobia Beyond their obvious implicit transphobia, there is an odd narrative being spun by UK-based Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists (TERFs, a term describing those who actively and deliberately attempt to exclude trans people, and especially trans women, from […]
Continue Reading
Image Description: (Left) Rita Mae Brown, (Right) Cover of Rubyfruit Jungle There are always lots of recommendations floating around of what to read, watch, and listen to in LGBT history month. However, finding older books and films that clearly foreground queer characters can prove difficult: the lengthy backlog of historical classics that emphasise heterosexual relationships […]
Continue Reading
Image Description: Two men laying down on their side surrounded by technology *MSM stands for men who have sex with men For MSM, the internet can be both the best and worst place. On one hand, it offers an anonymous place where one can express their sexuality, learn more, and meet others whether they are […]
Continue Reading