Navigating Classroom Environments as a Queer Student

Once settled after Freshers, you can sometimes be confronted with a whole new frontier, especially if you're a trans or non-binary student, in how to navigate your queerness in a classroom environment. As someone who realised they were non-binary once I came to LSE, I found navigating this an intimidating prospect so I wanted to write a blog dedicated to this topic. 

The first challenge I faced was that I wanted to be referred by my correct pronouns. As I had been introduced by a different set, I didn't want to be continuously misgendered for the rest of the academic year. Initially, I sent an email to all my class teachers explaining this difference and then would have a follow up chat in person, either before or after class, to reaffirm this change and make sure it was communicated effectively. At the same time, during group discussions I began to start telling my classmates and this began the process of socially transitioning at LSE. 

As a point of reassurance, it is an incredibly intimidating and vulnerable thing to do but I'm pleased that everyone, from classmates to teachers, made sure to correctly gender me. LSE is such a diverse place and people come from all walks of life and so the student body is largely supportive and accepting! 

The process of changing my name came a bit later, as it took me a little bit of time to figure out what I wanted to be called. The name changing process can be a bit more of a beast, especially if you haven't legally changed your name. 

Unfortunately, LSE student records require your legal name for all official correspondence. However, even if you don't legally change your name you can change your 'Known As' name. This means that in all un-official correspondence, LSE will use your preferred name and so will class teachers. In order to do this, whether you legally change it or not, visit the Student Services team on the ground floor of the OLD Building (the side opposite the GenDen) and you can chat to a member of the team there.

It's also worth having a chat separately with your class teachers to make sure they are aware of your change in name too! All my teachers were understanding, supportive and began using my correct name afterwards.  

Another separate issue that can be experienced by all queer students, is how to approach being visibly queer in the classroom. Often appearance is linked to gender expression, and therefore mainly trans and non-binary students, but this is an issue that a lot of LGBTQ+ people face in academic environments. 

This ones harder to give easy advice for but a few general tips would be:

• Start with your own comfort zone: you don't need to throw yourself in at the deep end. You can start small and as you build up your confidence, you can try and experiment with different pieces and bolder styles. 
• Bring a friend: The prospect of entering a classroom alone can be frightening, especially if you're trying something new. So, if you have an ally or another queer person in the class that you're close to, go in with them to make it seem less scary!
• Clothes are self-affirmation: As much as clothes are an expression of yourself to the outside world, they are also a way for you to feel in tune with yourself. If you feel confident in what you wear, others will see you as confident too. 
• Deflating stares: It's usually rare but you might get the odd look, not because they're judging but because it might be something new. Greeting people with a smile is how I usually respond to looks from other people. 

I hope these tips are helpful and make the journey of socially transitioning in an academic environment - from name or pronoun changes to a new style - easier to tackle. I want to reassure you finally that people at university will want to make you as comfortable as you can be. It's such a scary thing to start doing but once you dip your toes, it gets more and more easy.