My mum took me to my first Pride march when I was still in primary school. Pride is a protest, and my childhood was filled with them! Whether it was rallying against Poll Tax outside the City Chambers, fighting against the closure of a local community space, or marching behind SheBoom at Pride Scotia with an “end Section 28” placard; I was there hand-in-hand with my mum and our huge circle of chosen family, most of whom were queer. I know how privileged I am to have grown up as I did with LGBTQ+ role models and a mum who fought not only for LGB folk but who was a vocal trans ally the early 1990s when very few were. I was raised in an environment with total acceptance of difference and unconditional love and support – so it might surprise you to learn I didn’t come out until my mid-20s!

Like many, I struggled to pinpoint why I felt different and although I knew as a teenager I liked girls, I was absolutely certain it was something I’d grow out of. I didn’t look like any of the lesbians I knew, and I couldn’t see myself in anything other than a heterosexual relationship; the problem was that I also couldn’t bear the thought of actually being in a heterosexual relationship, so I simply avoided romance altogether! In hindsight, despite my upbringing, I had a very naïve and binary understanding of identity which coupled with compulsory heterosexuality meant it took me a long time to figure out that I was gay and not broken.

In 2010, a year after I came out, I moved to Glasgow to undertake a second degree at UofG. A few months before I moved, I came through to Glasgow for Pride and saw a UofG contingent with both students and staff marching together, side by side. I knew then that I was making the right choice to come here, and I already felt proud to be associated with the University.

Despite being a bit older than other undergraduates, I threw myself into student life! Within 6 months I was Vice President of the GULGBTQ+ Students Association, and a year later I took over as its President. For the first time in my life, I was unapologetically queer and I had never been happier. For me, that’s what university is all about; meeting new people, broadening your horizons, and learning more about who you are. I found a home at UofG, which probably explains why I’m still here 10 years later!

I now work in a student experience role at the University of Glasgow, and I try to ensure I’m as out as I possibly can be. Visibility is so important, especially when LGBTQ+ people are still facing abuse, discrimination, and estrangement from their families - I want our students to know that I’m a safe person to talk to. I also try hard to be a role-model for other young confused LGBTQ+ folk who might not have figured out who they are yet. Growing up I was so sure that the queer people in my life had always been confident and assured in their sexuality; maybe if I’d known earlier that it’s not always so clear cut, I wouldn’t have spent so long thinking something was wrong with me.

Sharing our experiences is not a one-way street - I find myself constantly awed by the incredible LGBTQ+ students I meet and work with. The energy with which our students fight intersectional inequality and injustice fills me with hope for the future and I find myself looking to them as role-models who inspire me to do better.

I wish I could go back to my younger self and take away some of that uncertainty and confusion, but I know without that journey I wouldn’t be who I am today. The University provided the environment I needed to find myself, not to mention help me find my wonderful wife-to-be who also studied and works here – thanks for that UofG! I will continue being unapologetically queer and if I help even one LGBTQ+ student feel more comfortable about who they are, then that’s definitely something else I’ll be proud of.

Written by Lauren McDougall

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