"I’ve been involved in the LGBTQ struggle ever since I was old enough to realise we had reasons to fight. I grew up in a country where the word ‘gay’ was an insult, fascism was rife and love was a reason to be afraid."
From fighting the blood ban, government cuts and discrimination to highlighting the importance of feminism, Stef tells LGBTQBrighton why YOU should vote for her!
1.Why are you running?
I’m running because I believe that the NUS LGBT Campaign has the power to change things, and I want to be part of the change. I want to keep the campaign at the forefront of a united, cross-liberation anti-cuts struggle, and I want to make sure that the student voice is heard. NUS LGBT has been such an amazing inspiration to me when I started out as an officer in my union, and I want to pass that on to new activists.
2.What LGBT issues do you particularly want to address?
I think the most important thing is building a strong movement, and NUS LGBT should keep holding training days and helping institutions that don’t have LGBT officers or societies. Together, as a strong, united front, we should campaign for equal marriage, fight cuts that are affecting LGBT, women, BME, mature and disabled people disproportionately and build international solidarity. I want to run a feminist campaign, keep fighting the blood ban, raise awareness of domestic violence in same-sex relationships and continue to oppose LGBT-phobia in sports. I think that if we address these issues collectively, we can win, and I want to make sure that everyone is on board.
3.Tell us more about the campaigning you’ve been doing over the last few years?
I started out as an LGBT activist in Romania, dodging rocks at Pride marches and having to listen to members of the Democratic Party talking about how wrong homosexuality is. When I moved to London I immediately became involved in the LGBT society at my university, and since then I’ve been a union officer and a national officer. I’ve campaigned to end the blood ban, make my university a safe space for trans* students and create gender neutral toilet facilities. I’ve organized LGBT feeder marches to anti-cuts demonstrations, spoken at rallies and written for the national press. I've also worked together with women's groups and many different LGBT+ societies on joint events and campaigns. Sometimes it’s been an uphill struggle, but from all the excellent activists I’ve met along the way, I’ve learned how important it is to keep fighting.
4.If you get in, what changes can we expect from LGBT NUS?
I want to continue some of the great campaigns NUS LGBT has been working on this year, such as Out in Sport and Love Without Borders, but also bring some new things to the table. I think it’s important to raise awareness of domestic violence in same-sex relationships, on which there is surprisingly little information out there, and work with organizations such as Amnesty. I’d also like to see the NUS LGBT Campaign involving more international students and students from small colleges and universities, and I think as the first ever international NUS LGBT Officer (Women’s place), I would be the best person for the job.
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