This was the second year in a row the LBGT+ EE Staff Forum have presented the “4 Queer Women” event and it was just as interesting, enjoyable and fascinating as the one previous! As part of LGBTQ+ History Month, the staff forum have been hosting a range of events for both students and staff all through the month. This event - presented and organised by Student Union staff members as part of the forum, consisted of a panel of… yep, you guessed it, 4 Queer Women! The aim of the event was to hear about their experiences inside and outside of their professions; and the joys as well as trials that come with being a queer woman. The four fantastic guest panellists were: Kimberley Turford (Co-Owner of Houselights), Ruki Hashmi (Electrical Engineer), Eden Ladley (NUS LGBT+ Officer – Women’s Place), Chris Paouros (Co-Chair of Spurs Proud Lillywhites).

Each of these panellists work in a range of diverse professions, and all had passionate views on the world around them. They answered questions and covered topics including Trans* rights; feminist activism; queer and female histories; LGBT+ night life, and how to create diverse spaces inside of where we work and live. The stories that the panellists told were littered with small gasps of shock and sympathy at times, as well as laughter and smiles from the audience. It was a great success with the audience remarking on how interesting our panellists were. We hope that the tradition of this event lives on within MDX, and that we continue to feel inspired and learn from the wonderful women how come to share their wisdom and life-stories with us.

A huge thank you too:

All 4 of our incredible panellists

The LGBT+ Staff forum for supporting 

And thank you to MDXSU Staff members Megan Bastable, Sally Bernard and Rachael Wall for facilitating the event.