Humans Of CSE July

Can you introduce yourself? (name, degree, year of study etc)

Emily: I’m Emily Zhang and I’m a first-year student studying a double degree of Bachelor of Computer Science and Psychology.

Anon: I am currently studying a bachelor of Law and Computer Science at UNSW and I am in my first year of studying.

If you are comfortable saying, what part of the LGBTQIA+ community do you belong to?

E: I am bisexual!

A: In the community, I identify as exclusively gay.

How has your first-year experience at UNSW been? Do you feel it has been different due to being part of the community?

E: Not really to be honest, I don’t feel as if there has been much of a difference in my experience. However, in the university setting, there’s a lot more interest surrounding dating and relationships. I feel like I have fewer options in finding a partner / romantic interest/person interested, as the community is still not as open as it could be. Although there are events in the past few weeks, especially due to Pride Month, that I've enjoyed which are catered towards our community.

A: My first year at UNSW has been generally good, however, I really do not enjoy the trimesters. Although I do feel a little forced into UNSW, I also was thinking of going to USYD however so many of my friends were going to UNSW and I found it was more racially diverse. However, I do like how UNSW is more student-oriented. This is a hard question to quantify as I am open about my sexuality, but I don’t openly present as gay. In terms of the community at UNSW, I’ve found them to be really accepting and I have no problems being part of the community as everyone is nice and accepting.

Have you joined any student organisations related to the LGBTQI+ community or societies that support and bring awareness to the community? Any notable events?

E: I have joined a few societies such as Queer Students in Stem and Sapphic Soc, but unfortunately I haven’t been able to attend many of their events as it does not align with my schedule. However, I am attending Queer Formal which I am very excited about as I feel like it would be a great opportunity for me to connect and meet other people within the community who have shared similar experiences!

A: During O- Week I joined Queer Students in Stem and they gave me some fun badges! Aside from that, I have joined societies that are more related to my degree such as CSE and LawSoc. I wish I had the time to be more active and advocate for the community however I have unfortunately not had the time so far. In terms of events, I have not been able to find the time to attend UNSW-related pride events, however, I have attended events for the general public such as the Mardi Gras.

Do you feel welcome and accepted in CSE or other societies?

E: Yes, I do! I don’t necessarily feel especially included, but I am treated the same as any other member of society. Although I have been able to meet many individuals within the LGBTQIA+ community and have noticed some of them have taken on significant leadership roles, it’s nice to see a balanced representation of our community.

A: I do recall the pride events held last month for Pride Month, I believe one of them was Papa’s Bakeria.  I do find CSE to be more accepting and have seen the promotion for all the pride events. I am not too aware of other societies as I have only joined societies related to my specific degree like  Lawsoc, CSEsoc , etc. However, I did notice that despite having an abundance of societies, not all of them have extensively posted about/ planned events for minorities such as the LGBTQIA+ communities. I believe this is more true for smaller societies.

Have you faced any challenges or discrimination on campus because of your identity? If so, how did you handle them?

E: I have not personally experienced any discrimination or challenges due to my identity. Although, I do know there are definitely people who are homophobic and do discriminate and I do my best not to associate with those groups of people.

A: In terms of facing discrimination, during my senior year in highschool I was targeted by a group of my classmates as they were extremely homophobic and racist.  Half of them do go to UNSW so whenever I see them around I do try my best to avoid them. Aside from that, I have not faced any challenges or discrimination on campus. No one has directly/explicitly been homophobic to me.

What changes would you like to see at UNSW  to better support LGBTQI+ students in the future? Any advice to give to other students in the same community who do not feel as welcomed or accepted?

E: Honestly, I think it would be nice to hold events for people in the LGBTQIA+ community all year round, and not only during pride events as I feel like this would create a more inclusive environment. Additionally, as I said before I feel like UNSW should have stricter policies regarding discrimination. I’ve noticed many posters wound the school encouraging us to speak out against discrimination, yet when I approached them about an issue, their categories regarding discrimination were limited to racism and sexual harassment. I believe the student community would benefit from homophobia being considered a form of discrimination that should be allowed to be reported.

A: To be honest in terms of support, the only thing I can recall is the rainbow stairs in the quad. I can pinpoint a specific change I’d like to see, but maybe in terms of the counselling UNSW provides, they could advertise it more and specify that they are open for everyone and are LGBTQIA+ problem-friendly to them. I believe that sometimes homophobia can be considered less of a problem to them and this change may help other students in the community. Overall, I appreciate that in UNSW no one seems to care if you are in the community or not, in a good way.

For more useful resources:

CSESoc Discord - A great place to ask questions and get advice from fellow students!

UNSW Subreddit - This is not CSESoc affiliated, however it is popular amongst students when seeking useful advice that may have been asked by past students in subreddits. Use at your own discretion.

CSESoc Outreach aims to release monthly articles that highlight the diverse experiences of students. We invite you to submit feedback or share your own insights through the form. Your stories, advice or perspectives could be invaluable to someone navigating university life.

https://forms.gle/Vt12TthoPhGSALGf8

Qiandai Huang, Anoushka Pandey