Content Warning: Transphobia, Strong Language
The Student was informed by an anonymous source that the female bathroom cubicles in Teviot Row House were defaced with graffiti and flyers which, it was argued, were expressing sentiments of transphobia on the evening of Friday, 12 October.
The first message read, “The GRA [Gender Recognition Act] has no impact on cis women #bullshit #notoselfID”. The second read “You can be sympathetic to trans-women and still have concerns about #selfID please listen to female survivors of sexual assault.” The graffiti was found in cubicles where the Edinburgh University Students’ Association’s #NoExcuse campaign poster were displayed.
In another stall, flyers were attached to the frame of another #NoExcuse poster. These flyers were published by Fair Play for Women, a group which has been accused of being transphobic by organisations such as Action for Trans Health and Stonewall UK.
In reaction to finding the flyers and graffiti, The Student’s source said “I was shocked to see such hateful speech being displayed in Teviot. The university’s Student Union [is] a place where all student[s] should feel safe and protected from discrimination.
“It is even worse that the culprit chose to use the #NoExcuse posters as a forum to push their transphobia,” they continued. “As a sexual assault survivor, I was shaken to my core to see these people using survivors and victims as a shield to hide their bigotry.”
This is the most recent example of alleged anti-trans language being displayed on campus, with stickers also found in university buildings during the summer months and again in recent weeks.
A Students’ Association spokesperson said that “the Students’ Association has zero tolerance for transphobia of any kind. Anyone caught distributing these materials or defacing Students’ Association property with transphobic messaging will be reported to the authorities. We would urge any students who find examples of this in our buildings to inform a member of staff who will remove it”.
Images: Olivia R. Nolan