Trans woman student abused and shoved out of toilets at Leeds University
A trans woman student at Leeds University was verbally abused and pushed out of the Student Union’s female toilets by two girls.
According to reports, Alexis, a Microbiology student who was transitioning from male to female, was shouted at and shoved in the chest by two girls, during a night called Fruity.
She said:Ā āIām very angry at those girls. I know better than anyone that I donāt look like a girl yet. Misgendering me is something I expect, but grabbing my breasts and shoving me is completely unacceptable.
āItās wrong for a natural-born girl to insult a trans girl, especially one who prefers to dress more masculine, simply because she likes to. Weāre doing the best we can ā youāre lucky to have been born that way, and we can dress however we please, just like you”,Ā Alexis added.
Security was called to the incident, which took place on Saturday evening, reports the Leeds Student.Ā
A Leeds University Students’ Union spokesperson told this paper: āAs a Union we support the right of transgender students to use the toilets in which they feel most comfortable. A member of our security team explained the situation to the two females and they said that they understood.ā
Alexis, a second year student, did not wish to take any further action but added: āThe security staff were excellent, and I really appreciate what they didā.
The University’s LGBT society had two trans welfare officers, and commented on the incident, saying:Ā āThe welfare of our members is the number one priority of our society and weāve been working closely with the Union to raise awareness of the added struggles that Trans* people face.ā
In 2010, a forum for the Students’ Union passed a motion to introduce gender-neutral toilets.
The Unionās Equality and Diversity officer, Charlie Hopper, said āSince the idea to create a gender neutral toilet passed in 2010 the Union has made progress in ensuring support for Trans* students, including Trans* awareness training for staff.ā
