Content warning: transphobic messaging
On Monday 25 March, transphobic stickers were spotted at the Old Medical School Quad, outside the Teviot Lecture Theatre. The stickers read: “Transwomen ARE women! Seahourses ARE horses! Catfish ARE cats! This is NOT up for debate!!!” Later in the week on Saturday, the same stickers were found outside the back entrance to Old College, although these ones were found scratched and torn.
This is not the first time that transphobic material has been found on campus this academic year. Rather, the stickers follow a string of earlier events.
In response to this, The Student reached out to Diva Mukherji, VP Education, for comment:
“We are disappointed and frustrated to see continuing incidents of transphobic stickers in University [of Edinburgh] and [Edinburgh University] Students’ Association spaces. These are not only hurtful to trans people, but are clearly hate crimes by law.
“We have been working closely with our own staff and the university to report and remove stickers as they appear, and will continue to be clear in our message that we reject all forms of harassment and discrimination, including on the basis of gender identity.
“We encourage students and staff to report incidents to us by emailing liberation@eusa.ed.ac.uk, and students who would like further support, including in reporting hate crimes to the Police, can contact the Advice Place.”
Image: Sara Konradi