LGBT+ History Month

To mark LGBT+ History Month (2025), Glasgow Caledonian’s Student Wellbeing Team partnered with the Library’s Relax and Renew Team and Graduate School to host a Research Café on Thursday, 6 February, showcasing some of the university’s research with LGBTQIA+ communities.

We welcomed back two researchers we had heard from in 2024 to learn about how their research has progressed and what the real-world applications could be in terms of creating more inclusive and sustainable nightlife spaces for LGBTQIA+ communities.

Beth Meadows (SHLS) is currently working on her PhD exploring people’s experiences of alcohol-free nightlife spaces and highlighting some of the positives as well as the barriers around this emerging scene.

Daniel Baxter (Senior Lecturer and Associate Dean of GSBS) has been exploring how destinations and event venues aiming to become more sustainable must also consider the social perspective. His work remains centred on LGBTQIA+ communities, emphasising the importance of creating and maintaining safe spaces where individuals feel secure and valued. Daniel concludes that by fostering such environments, consumers are more likely to engage with and think about sustainability and consumption.

We were also joined on the day by our partner organisation Glasgow Council on Alcohol whose LGBTQIA+ support service, KInder, Stronger, Better attended the café and set up a pop-up stall for GCU students to find out about the support they offer.

The event generated a lot of interesting and important discussions, and we thank everyone for their contributions. Special thanks to our researchers and to Seth Thompson and the Sir Alex Ferguson Library for hosting the event.

LGBT+ Research at Glasgow Caledonian

Impacts of alcohol on LGBTQ+ communities in Scotland

GCU's Professor Carol Emslie, Ms Jemma C. Lennox and Dr Lana Ireland have undertaken research on the impacts of alcohol on LGBTQ+ communities in Scotland. The research has also fed into the #KinderStrongerBetter campaign which highlights issues of substance use among LGBTQ+ people in Scotland and signposts to useful resources.

Is the hidden curriculum binary?

GCU's Mel McKenna in partnership with Strathclyde's Stephanie Mckendry have contibuted to Advance HE's The Hidden Curriculum of Higher Education with their paper 'Is the hidden curriculum binary?'.

Game to improve help seeking and coping

With colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh, GCU’s Professor Simon Hunter has been involved in the development of a game to improve help seeking and coping among young people who identify as a sexual and/or gender minority, with a particular focus on their experiences of bullying. A protocol paper has been published describing the game and ongoing evaluation. A qualitative exploration of these experiences has also been accepted for publication.

Inclusive curricula to support BAME and LGBTQI+ Students

Dr Heather Gray and Rachel Simpson led a project to explore inclusive curricula to support BAME and LGBTQI+ Students. The project was part of the QAAs Enhancement Themes and more information is available at the project webpage.

GCU Staff and Students are also able to access a variety of research through GCU's Sir Alex Ferguson Library. Alongside hundreds of results for LGBT resources, individuals are able to access specifically the journals relating to LGBT support and academic at the Browzine webpages.

Higher Education Sector Resources

TransEdu

For further information about supporting transgender students in Higher Education, please refer to the TransEdu materials created by University of Strathclyde.

TransEdu have also recently published additional guidance for supporting students in online learning environments called: Covid-19: Supporting Transgender, non-binary and gender diverse learners in an online context.

Advance HE

Advance HE have a series of Guidance and Resources for HE and colleges.

Advance HE have also produced a publication exploring the impact of the Hidden Curriculum, including a chapter on the binary nature of the curriculum.

Gendered Intelligence

Gendered Intelligence have published Achieving Trans Inclusion & Valuing Gender Diversity in Educational Settings

LGBTQIA+ students

Find out more about the support available for LGBT+ Students at GCU.

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Student wellbeing advice

The Student Wellbeing Advisers work with students who have wellbeing concerns and ensures they have meaningful face-to-face contact in a timely manner.

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Previous years

Glasgow Caledonian hosted two research cafes during LGBT+ History Month 2024 where we heard from GCU researchers at different stages of their research careers with LGBTQIA+ communities. The events generated a lot of interesting and important discussions and we thank everyone for their contributions. Special thanks to our researchers and to Gary Steele and the Sir Alex Ferguson Library for hosting the event in the Relax and Renew Space and organising biscuits and refreshments.

The first event on 16 February, included SHLS Professor of Substance Use Research, Liz Hughes, who spoke about her research career and was joined by Alexander McGuchan-Johnston (he/him) who has just started a PhD on Asset Based Community Development for Older LGBTQIA+ Adults.

Liz Hughes is one of GCU’s leading professors, specialising in substance use research, and the intersection of sexual health and sexuality and mental health. She was a co-investigator in two NIHR funded national studies, Queer Futures and Queer Futures 2 - both led by Professor Liz McDermott, which sought to understand the lived experience of LGBTQIA+ youth, their mental health and help-seeking, as well as what good mental health support looks like. Liz is a mental health nurse by background and has spent her entire clinical and research career (spanning 30 years) addressing health inequalities for underserved groups.

Liz said; “I am delighted to be able to join you to celebrate LGBTQIA+ history month, and share the findings from our research involving LGBTQIA+ youth. I am looking forward to sharing a positive message about the power of peer support, positive allies and inclusive practices to promote and improve mental health.”

The second event was held on 23rd February and we heard from Daniel Baxter, Senior Lecturer and Associate Dean of GSBS who is developing his research profile, looking at maintaining safe LGBTQ+ spaces and drag culture. Daniel was joined by PhD researcher Beth Meadows, who is exploring sober nightlife spaces for LGBTQIA+ communities. Beth has contributed to Glasgow Council on Alcohol’s new resource for the LGBTQ+ community, Kinder, Stronger, Better: https://kinderstrongerbetter.org/

Daniel said; “We are delighted to be celebrating LGBT+ History Month with events exploring the importance of LGBT+ concepts such as drag and the role it has played in creating safe spaces for the LGBT+ community. The discussions will highlight the realities faced by the communities in these spaces and consider the need to review the types of spaces available for the community and how to maintain such spaces. Come along and learn more about this fascinating area and learn more about the LGBTQIA+ Equality Group”

Daniel has shared his research web page and publications:

Baxter, D, Jones, S & Leer, C 2022, 'Audience diversity and wellbeing at UK drag events', Event Management, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 127-140. https://doi.org/10.3727/152599521X16192004803656
Baxter, D., Jones, S. and Leer, C. (2023), "The infiltration of LGBTQ+ safe spaces", International Journal of Event and Festival Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEFM-02-2023-0018
Baxter, D., Leer, C. and Jones, S., (2022). “Dragging up the night: exploring the changing dynamic of audiences at drag events in the UK”. Journal of Policy Research in Tourism,