Information and support for specific student groups

Supporting our LGBTQ+ students

At ARU we're committed to being, and growing, a safe and inclusive LGBTQ+ community. We recognise that we need to learn, unlearn, challenge, and support the growth of communities around us.

What we're doing

  • Creating pronoun awareness through encouraging the use of pronouns across the ARU community and displaying these as physical and digital badges.
  • Ensuring your name is correctly used from the first time you interact with us and throughout your whole student journey.
  • Recognising your needs with a Gender Expression Fund established by ARU The Union to ease the financial burden of gender identity transition.
  • Educating our ARU community through our Unlearning Lightbulb events and initiatives like our LGBTQ+  alphabet campaign to raise awareness of gender and sexual identity.
  • Making a difference through research, including our LGBTQ+ Research Group and REF projects.
  • Supporting our LGBTQ+ communities by celebrating the community on campus, and as lead sponsors at Cambridge and Essex Pride. We’re #ARUProud: come and meet our staff and students there!
  • Working closely with The Union through which you can join existing student societies and meet other LGBTQ+ students and allies, or start a new society and grow your own community based on your identity or area of interest.
  • Ensuring LGBTQ+ voices are heard through Liberation Assemblies organised across our campuses, led by the Union's Welfare & Liberation Officer.
  • Treating everyone in our community with dignity and respect with clear advice and guidance on harassment support. You can report an incident and have the option of doing this anonymously.
  • Celebrating #OurPeople by sharing their stories (you can read some below).

Read more

Dr Christoper Owen
Christopher's story

ARU graduate Dr Christopher Owen is the founder of Coliberate, a social enterprise that explores the root causes of inequality.

Close-up of an arm and hand writing on a document in an office setting. The person is wearing a rainbow wristband and there's a rainbow flag behind their computer monitor
LGBTQ+ Research Group

Open to all students and staff at ARU, this group explores issues that matter to LGBTQ+ people.

Jo Bunkle

"Working at the Students' Union and at ARU gave me the accepting environment I needed to come out as non-binary, and be me."

Jo Bunkle (She/they)

Liberation & Campaigns Coordinator

Headshot of Catherine Lee (Head of Department for Education at Anglia Ruskin University)

"ARU has played an important part in teaching me I can succeed as my authentic self."

Catherine Lee (She/her)

Pro Vice Chancellor and Dean

Daniel Burnham

"ARU provides a supportive learning and working environment where my voice matters."

Daniel Burman (He/him)

Senior Business Operations Manager

Demi Smith

"ARU is such an inclusive place to work, and I'm proud to be a member of their LGBTQ+ staff community."

Demi Smith (They/them)

Democracy Coordinator

Kate Cocksedge

"Working for ARU, I feel seen and valued for all I am."

Kate Cocksedge (She/her)

Academic Partnerships Operations Manager

ARU staff member Claudia Wascher with her two dogs

"For me, Pride means celebrating the achievements we have made towards an equitable future and speaking up for people who have not yet found their voice."

Claudia Wascher (She/her)

Associate Professor