Outline of the day

This study day for students and staff offers learning on the lived experience of being Transgender in the morning, and issues particular to Higher Educational contexts in the afternoon. The day starts with a brief introduction by Kaleidoscope, the University of Bath’s Staff and Postgraduate LGBT+ group, the Student Union LGBT+ Diversity and Support group, and Student Services about the work they do to support those who are Transgender at the University of Bath. Jessica Lynn, a transgender activist and International Trainer, will then talk about her lived experiences of being Transgender and willing to take any questions throughout. This is followed by Dr Sam Martin’s talk about the experiences, information and support needs of trans and gender diverse youth. The afternoon is led by Dr Stephanie McKendry, who beings with a one hour presentation on the issues facing trans and gender diverse students in Higher Education, followed by a workshop focused on increasing trans inclusion and what bespoke support might look like in attendees areas of work.

If you have time constraints, you can participate only to part of the day.

The day is sponsored by The Global Citizenship Programme, Student Services and the University's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Team.

Speakers

Sam Martin

Sam Martin is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford in the Department of Primary Care and Health Sciences. They are currently exploring the healthcare experiences of trans and gender diverse youth in the UK and the development of supportive online resources. They completed their PhD at the school of Psychology and Sport Science at Anglia Ruskin University. Their research developed and evaluated www.queervibe.org, an online intervention that aims to empower trans male and non-binary youth using applied discourse analysis and interactive video tutorials. This research is being taken forward as part of the of UK Regional Network for the International Partnership for Queer Youth Resilience. They have a master’s degree in Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy and have published work about counselling as a site for the dilemmatic negotiation of masculinities.

Jessica Lynn

As Kinsey Institute Global Ambassador, Jessica Lynn has gained adulation for her activism on behalf of the transgender community. Her experience, exuberance, and extraordinary life produce a presentation that has put her on over 750 stages in 28 different countries. After a prejudiced Texas judge stripped her of all parental rights to her youngest son, Ms. Lynn dedicated her life to combating the intolerance and ignorance of the public toward peoples who share her plight. Ms Lynn is a Stonewall School Role Model and an advisor to the medical community. In 2019, The University of Oxford and the National Institute for Health Research have appointed Jessica Lynn to an advisory position on projects aimed towards improving the health of gender diverse youth in Great Britain.

Stephanie McKendry

Stephanie McKendry has over 18 years’ experience in higher education. Since 2014 she has led the Widening Access Team at the University of Strathclyde, with responsibility for increasing opportunities and removing barriers to study and success. She also leads the Equality and Diversity Office at Strathclyde and has supported the Scottish Commissioner for Fair Access as Researcher/Implementation Advisor to the Scottish Government since 2016. She has been a member of two National Expert Think Tanks on fair admissions and is an editor of the Journal for Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning. Her research interests span widening participation; under-representation and the intersection between access and equality; and the experience of young adult carers and students from looked after/care backgrounds. Most recently, she led the award winning TransEDU research project exploring the experiences of trans and gender diverse applicants, students and staff in Scotland’s colleges and universities.