To celebrate Pride Month, we caught up with Elise Brunsden who is the President of the Heriot-Watt LGBT+ Society. We chatted about what the LGBT+ Society got up to in the last year, what they have plans for this year and why students should join the LGBT+ society! Read below
How long have you been involved with the LGBT+ Society?
I joined the Society as Wellbeing Officer in October 2022. I hadn’t had the courage or pride in my own sexuality to be anything more than a silent member prior to this. But I wanted to be a more active member and I wanted to meet more Queer people.
What were some of the highlights for the LGBT+ Society last year?
For me there were two highlights: the event I hosted in collaboration with LGBT Health and Wellbeing where we had a Q&A session relating to all things medical and legal transitions in Scotland. As a CIS Gendered person, it really helped to shed light on the difficulties faced by my trans friends, and I felt like every person who attended received all the help that they needed. And secondly, HWU Pride. I had only attended a pride once before this one and having a hand in the planning was stressful but so rewarding. To see the smiles on the faces of every person who attended and to be able to create a place for our community that celebrated everyone was incredible. I am very proud to have been a part of it and I cannot wait to make it even better next year.
Do you have any plans already for the upcoming year?
We are hoping to release a monthly newsletter that will be run by our new wellbeing officer, Elise D, where we highlight LGBT related topics. We are also planning an LGBTea in Galashiels during Freshers week and our academic year will end with the 2nd HWU Pride.
How are you personally celebrating Pride?
I am not sure yet. I celebrated on behalf of each person at HWU pride haha! Sadly, I won’t be in Edinburgh for Pride nor in my hometown for the pride here, but I think for me Pride is more than just a parade. I recently got a rainbow tattoo and I feel that just existing as a queer woman and using that to make a difference within our community brings me the most amount of pride.
Why should a Heriot-Watt student join the LGBT+ Society?
We are a small community; our society is so beautiful in the sense that we exist for people who identify as any letter(s) of the LGBTQIA+ acronym. They are not required to attend our events or participate in our discord, but they can still feel a part of our community, and we will be there for them whenever they need us.