Content Notice: This article contains detailed discussion of transphobia

Students have been leading efforts to cover over a series of transphobic stickers, which had appeared around public places in Cambridge earlier this week, with positive messages demonstrating support for the LGBTQ+ community.

These supportive stickers carried messages such as “terfs not welcome,” as demonstrated in pictures seen by Varsity. Rowan, who was among the students leading these efforts, told Varsity that “it was so nice to see everyone coming together with suggestions and support. We created around 50-100 stickers over the course of the day.”

The transphobic stickers could be seen in several public places, such as Jesus Green and the University Library, in “unavoidable” positions, Mishti Ali, a student at the University, told Varsity. The messages on the stickers included phrases such “gender is not useful information,” further images demonstrated.

Ali added: “Particularly following LGBTQ+ History Month 2021, I’d ask other queer people to keep in mind that solidarity is what has got us this far, and solidarity is what will keep us going.”

The Cambridge SU LGBT+ Campaign, in response to the transphobic stickers, tweeted “to remind anyone taking them down to use a key to peel them off--far right groups have a history of putting [...] sharp [objects] behind stickers.”

Rowan, who “as a non-binary person [was] hurt [...] to see such blatant transphobia” also noted that “most of the stickers focused on positivity and the concept of ‘trans joy’ as too often our humanity is overlooked in these debates about our identities.”

“Those of us who made and put up the stickers were a mixture of trans and cis people, all queer, who wanted to come together and fight hate in all its forms, spread positivity and make a statement that trans people are welcome here and that we will not be silenced by transphobia.”

This comes following the end of LGBTQ+ History Month, which also saw Jesus College request that students remove all flags from their windows, stating that it was “the end of this time of commemoration.” A spokesperson for the College told Varsity: “Jesus College is very supportive of LGBT+ History Month and other LGBT+ events and initiatives throughout the year.”

Throughout February, 30 of Cambridge’s 31 colleges flew a pride flag for some or all of the month, a demonstration of solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community across the University. Magdalene College did not fly a flag owing to a broken flagpole.

The Out at Cambridge report, which was released at the beginning of February, also examined the experiences of LGBTQ+ students, highlighting that: “For some trans, non-binary, and gender queer people, disclosure is not a choice. For example, if participants did not pass with their gender preference, identified as nonbinary, or used gender-neutral pronouns, they were being ‘pre-disclosed’ by their appearance and pronouns.”

The SU also launched their Care+ campaign and the Big Cambridge LGBT Survey report, which looked into the experiences of LGBTQ+ students at the University. The Care+ report found that “Trans and Non-Binary (NB) respondents were slightly more likely to feel insecure in their living situation than average. We can confidently say they were also significantly more likely to feel unsafe.”