A warm welcome
A message from the society President.
"Hi there! I'm Rory, the society's current President. It's my pleasure to welcome you to our beautifully queer community and introduce you to our vibrant safe space. We are a very active society with lots of exciting events and a friendly member community. All of us have experienced those first frightening steps into our first-ever society event so we want to make sure you feel as welcomed and included as possible. Please have. a read below for a short introduction to the society and how you can get involved. Once again, a warm welcome and I hope to meet you soon at our events!
Rory MacLellan
President
Connect with us
Sign up to our mailing list and find us on social media.
Monthly newsletter
During the University semester, we send a monthly newsletter containing our latest news and updates, as well as all of our events for the month.
Find us on social media
We post regularly during the semester on a variety of social media channels. Here are some of our pages:
Join our Facebook group and Discord server
We also have a Facebook group and Discord server where you can chat with other society members. You can join below.
Our events
What to expect at our events
Weekly society meetings
During the semester, we host a society meeting every week, usually on a Tuesday at 7 pm. These meetings are a safe space for LGBTQ+ students and allies to hang out, learn about queer culture, find out more about current LGBTQ+ issues and explore queer identities. These meetings are fairly informal, and open discussion is encouraged. After the meeting ends around 8 or 9 pm, a number of us head to Studio in the Union for drinks and karaoke.
Society socials
Sometimes in place of our weekly meeting, we host a social such as pub crawl or coffee morning. These are great events to meet new people and have fun. Some of these socials do involve alcohol consumption but if that's not your thing, we also aim to host multiple sober socials each semester. We will also make it clear in the description of our events if alcohol may be involved.
Special events
The society also hosts several larger events each academic year. A highlight of the Spring semester is StirPride, our annual Pride week. Each year we put on a packed week of events around a chosen theme. In previous years, we've held panels, film screenings and drag shows. During the Autumn semester, we also host an event to raise money for World AIDS Day (1st December), and in 2020, we hosted a virtual concert that won 'Best Online Event' at the Clubs and Societies Awards. At the end of the academic year, we also put on an awards ceremony called Rainbow Awards which celebrates our outstanding members and acts as a farewell for those graduating.
Our safe space
We are committed to hosting a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment for all self-identifying LGBTQ+ people at the University and in the wider community. Before attending our events, please read our Safe Space Agreement to learn about the expectations of behaviour in our spaces and what you can do to respect the safe space.
Help and support
Identity, mental health and community support
Identity representatives
Within our committee, there are five dedicated identity representatives. If you want advice on exploring your identity or just some support, you can speak with these reps. at any time by emailing support@sulgbtq.org or by sending us a message on Facebook. Any conversation you have with a rep. is treated as confidential and won't be shared with anyone, unless we believe you or others are in danger.
LGBT+ staff network
The University also has a dedicated LGBT+ staff network made up of academic and professional support staff who identify as LGBT+. You can speak with any of the contacts in confidence, and anything you say will be treated as confidential. The network can help you access LGBT+ specific support and provide a welcoming and understanding person to talk to.
Student support services
The Student Services Hub provides extensive student support. The hub can assist you with your studies and adjusting to university life as well as support your mental health and wellbeing. Due to extensive demand, there can be a significant wait for some services, especially mental health support. To contact the Hub, you can email ask@stir.ac.uk or start a live chat on the University Portal.
Frequently asked questions
I'm not out, can I still join the society?
Of course. We fully understand that not everyone is out and can make accommodations for this. If you would like to speak to someone before coming to our events, drop an email to support@sulgbtq.org and one of our friendly reps will get back to you. We also ask everyone in attendance at our meetings if they're comfortable being in any photos.
I live in the Stirling area but don't attend the University, can I join?
Yes! If you don't attend the University of Stirling, you can get a non-student membership from the Stirling Students' Union website.
What access measures are in place at your events?
We strive to make our events accessible to all. Most of our weekly meetings are hosted in University teaching rooms with physical access measures in place. We aim to include any available accessibility information from the venue for off-campus meetings in the event description. We also understand that not all disabilities are visible, so if there are any measures we can put in place to make you more comfortable, please get in touch with us by emailing support@sulgbtq.org