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Image description: Azealia Banks performing at O2 Academy Brixton TW: Homophobia, Transphobia It was around 3 AM in one of London’s iconic LGBTQ+ spaces and clubs when I began to feel uncomfortable. It was not from drinking too much nor was it because someone was acting inappropriately – it was because Azealia Banks’ song 212 […]
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Image description: two fists with “LGBTQ+” painted on the fingers Currently in the 21st century, our identities are often closely linked to gender and sexuality. While the former has been an identifying factor for centuries if not millennia—although the perception of gender has changed—the latter is a comparatively new concept. We might not pause to […]
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“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 […]
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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 […]
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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. […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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Image Description: An image of the Radcliffe Camera on a cloudy day The Oxford Student has obtained previously unreleased data on undergraduate student demographics at the University of Oxford. The data is collected by the university through the Student Self Service portal as part of the student registration process in order to meet its reporting […]
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Image Description: LGBTQ+ victory parade 2018 in Calcutta, India, a sign reads: “Queers for Democracy not for Emergency” When I recently attended the hustings for the OULGBT society, there was a lot of talk about how marginalised students (people of colour and trans students) within the community felt as though they didn’t belong in the […]
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Image description: Budapest LGBTQ+ Pride 2015 “Wonderland Is For Everyone,” says the title of an inclusive fairytale featuring characters from queer and ethnic minority backgrounds. “Not for us,” is apparently the answer of the Hungarian government. The publishers, the Labrisz Lesbian Association, must now indicate through a disclaimer on this and future LGBTQ+ inclusive books […]
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Image Description: A picture of the outside of the Oxford Union taken from the courtyard. The Treasurer of the Oxford Union has this afternoon resigned from her position. She becomes the second Union Treasurer to resign since the end of Michaelmas term. Adi Kesaia Toganivalu, who was elected to the position of Secretary in the […]
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TW: Homophobia, transphobia, queerphobia, islamophobia, ableism, sexual harassment Queerness and Christianity is a unique intersection of identities, one that many still see as conflicting. This is becoming more and more evident in Oxford, where Christian communities are – intentionally or not – alienating and rejecting LGBT+ people of faith. Balancing my own faith and sexuality […]
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Image description: pride protest march at night Globally, 2020 has been a historic year for LGBTQ+ people. Alongside the Pope updating his stance on same-sex civil unions (something I wrote about earlier this term), we’ve also seen a ‘rainbow wave’ in the US, with more LGBTQ+ people elected than ever before. However, as queer people […]
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Image Description: A white, pink and grey trainer on a purple arm Something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately is the way I look. Not in a bad way, either – I don’t mind my appearance and can occasionally appreciate it. No, I’ve more been thinking about the way my self-image has changed now […]
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It’s something you probably heard a few times since lockdown: “think about the people who are stuck in the closet with an unaccepting family who will not be able to support them in the way that they need”. Or maybe you saw articles looking at how people would be lonely in lockdown cut off from […]
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Reader, you would be forgiven for making the egregious mistake that ‘BNOC’ is a ‘one size fits all’ label. If you’re unlucky enough to be friends with one, you would be well acquainted with an impromptu trip to Hassan’s becoming a small meet and greet. If you’re even luckier, you may not even know what […]
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Image description: Player characters from The Adventure Zone: Balance. Image credit: “The Adventure Zone” by Nicholas Kole is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Like many of my peers, I’m hungry for queer stories that aren’t exclusively about being queer. Coming-of-age and romance stories, while great on their own terms, are not my favourite genres, and I have little hope […]
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Image: Hijras in Laxman Jhula. Image credit: “Hijras in Laxman Jhula” by Quixosis is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 India has a complex relationship with the trans community. Historically, trans people have occupied a unique space in rituals; yet they still fight for basic human rights today. Many people in the West are not aware of India’s intersex and […]
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Last Thursday, I attended a philosophy reading group which aimed to unpack the term ‘queer theory’ and the implications of such a term. In summary, queer theory explores how LGBTQ+ narratives are created and perceived in the culture of heteronormativity. Stephen Turton, an English DPhil student, led the discussion by dissecting Michael Warner’s 1991 article, […]
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