Welcome back to SheWired's exclusive series 'Out on Campus,' brought to you by SheWired Associate Shannon Connolly and Senior Editor Tracy E. Gilchrist. We are busy combing college campuses across the nation -- or even around the world -- to bring readers a varied perspective on coming out or being out at college.
Enjoy, and if you'd like to be a part of our series please email me at tracy.gilchrist@regentmedia.com.
Coming from a High School where there was almost an even split between the amount of gay kids as straight kids, I was skeptical about how much better University could be; how could there be another educational institution as open-minded as the one I was leaving? Well, I was given the answer as soon as I stepped onto the campus which I’d call home for the next four years. Stirling University is picturesque; it is surrounded by hills, has a lake centred in the middle of the campus and located directly behind it is the national William Wallace monument. It has a relaxing nature and, for a city, it feels more rural and old fashioned than cosmopolitan.
As it happens, the university made one of the best decisions it could have and placed my best male friend (who happens to also be gay) alongside me, which reminded me of home and how little of a reaction being gay there caused. My flatmates for the year were a group of sixteen completely different characters and within minutes of our first meeting I knew that my life as an out lesbian was going to be a lot easier than I had first imagined.
“Fresher’s week” (the week for first year students to learn about the campus and surrounding area) introduced me to the local LGBT society, which I joined as soon as I could. I was also able to convince my friend to come along with me. The group was friendly, light-hearted and rather busy. We sat in a room and introduced ourselves over a fair amount of vodka and gin. My nicotine habit also helped me find common ground with this new and intimidating scene. Coming away from that night I knew that the next four years would be a piece of cake.
Stirling’s LGBT Society is a well recognized group with frequent events such as themed nights, screenings of Milk in the University’s own cinema and nights out to neighbouring Glasgow. It promotes the LGBT message fairly and over the last few months has had advertising campaigns for “Coming out day”, “World Aids Day” and Scotland’s LGBT history month (which just took place last month)…and that’s just to name a few of many. The club is run by a very diverse and devoted team and its growing membership and support is well deserved recognition for their effort.
I’m fortunate enough to come from Scotland where being gay isn’t an unusual thing. It’s a place where, apart from the rare occasion when an ignorant teenager will shout something abusive, we can hold the hand of the person we love and nothing is said, we can share public affection and we’re not frowned upon. From Stirling, Glasgow and Edinburgh are close by and both have lively gay scenes and LGBT societies which are closely linked to our own.
Stirling, despite being a city with an active gay community, has a practically non-existent nightlife. Other than the University’s once a week LGBT meet up, if you’re looking to find a club or a pub with an all-gay crowd, it’s going to be impossible. There used to be a gay night in Stirling held at one of the main nightclubs but it was cancelled due to low turnout; however, with the scene picking back up again some of the chair people within the LGBT society are fighting to bring it back.
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Being out at university, however, is not just about the nightlife or how many girls you can hook up with over the course of the year. It’s about feeling comfortable to raise facts you may know in a seminar or to talk openly about being gay amongst your fellow classmates. This year I had a seminar on sexuality in film and for the first time I was able to speak openly about what I knew and what I thought had to change within the film industries for the representation of LGBT people to be more accurate and more well proportioned.
Being out at Stirling University gives me the freedom to talk about issues such as Prop 8 and to remind people that, although here in Scotland we have civil partnerships, protection against discrimination and equal rights for LGBT people that are some of the best in the world, it’s not so much like that across the globe. In one discussion over Prop 8 I was talking to a mature student who in the middle of our conversation said “Wow, we have a long way to go. I never realized how much of a fight you guys still have on your hands.” It’s conversations like that which make me grateful for being out, and especially being out in Scotland.
Stirling University is one of the UK’s top sports universities so there is a level of expectation of there being a fair few lesbians around. And as much as I hate to promote stereotypes, I have to concede on this one - we’re absolutely everywhere! I guess that makes the campus much like a daytime gay club, which could be one of the reasons people don’t think we need a nightclub. Stirling caters to all subgroups. It is by far one of the best places to be if you wish to be accepted by both staff and students without much hassle.
Of course, like every place, it has its ups and its downs. I’m only in my first year here so I’m sure as the years progress there will a lot more developments for the gay community here at SU. The next step for our community here is to try and bring back our nights out in the town where we can have some time away from all the stress of studying and just let our hair down with our fellow gays. As young people in Scotland we have the duty to try and raise awareness of homophobia in our high schools and stress the importance of teaching our younger kids that being gay is okay (in fact, it’s fabulous).
As young Europeans where most of us have the chance to be classed as equal, our LGBT societies are responsible for proving that the world does not fall apart just because we treat each other the same and we can support each gay teenager or adult who walks into our LGBT meeting for the very first time hoping to find some comfort that he or she is not alone. I’m proud of Stirling University and its supportive nature, there is a long way to go and as we progress there is a hope that Stirling city centre can develop and provide to the needs of our buzzing gay community.
To read the last Out On Campus, click here!
