Queer Collective Newsletter - February 2023

Hey gang!

We're excited to share the first edition of the Queer Collective newsletter with you :)

The newsletter will be an overview of upcoming events and initiatives, as well as a monthly report of what the Queer Officers have been up to over the last month. We're also promoting projects and committees that we think you'd want to be a part of, and asking for your insights and thoughts on how to improve the Collective in the future.

If you have content suggestions, get in touch with us via email, Facebook, Instagram, or Mastodon (or leave a comment below if you're on the web version).

Queer Officer's Updates

Meetings

Queer Collective hasn't had any meetings this year, as the term is yet to commence. The When2Meet is available here (new UNSW students, get used to When2Meet).

O-Week !!!

We ran a stall at Paddington's O-Week for the first time this year, as we felt that a large proportion of queer Arts students at UNSW weren't being heard or represented by QueerCo. We seem to have been right, as nearly every student we spoke to was unaware of the Queer Collective, or even of the SRC. Our stall was effective, as we were able to gain nearly 30 new members from this one day event.

At Kensington, we had a presence at the SRC's stall for 3 of the 4 days of O-Week (in accordance with our requirements under the SRC Charter). This was highly successful as well: most students we spoke to were extremely excited about the idea of effective LGBTQIA+ representation, especially those who came from private & religious schools.

We also ran a barbecue in conjunction with QSIS and the new SapphoSoc. This cross-promotion is the first of many, as we believe having multiple avenues of representation is essential to improving the experiences of queer students.

Queer Space Updates

We've decided to move to a card-only access system for the Queer Space, as UNSW has (re-)introduced requirements for monitoring entry and exit into the lab floors of the building.

We've also acquired a new refrigerator for the space, to replace the moldy one we had through the end of last year.

Several new students (primarily those who participated in our O-Week Events) have been inducted into the space, and access for anyone who submitted the application prior to Thursday should have access at some point in week 1.

Inter-University Events

We've been in talks with Yas and Ella, the University of Sydney's Queer Officers, and are waiting for the induction of the 2023 UTS Queer Officer, to plan an inter-university event for later in the year (probably in the Term 2 Flex Week, or maybe end-of-year holidays? Leave your thoughts in the comments).

WorldPride 2023

As you're probably aware, WorldPride is coming to Sydney this year. UNSW and the Queer Collective are getting on board with several events during the Mardi Gras & WorldPride period, and some of the highlights are listed below. We're also working on the Queer Collective's Guide to Mardi Gras, which will come out (haha I'm funny) this week.