Newslink April marketing special

Conference 2024 Telford: Full report
The MSA GB Conference was back with a bang as members met up in Telford for a weekend of
high-quality presentations on driver training and networking, as well as some well-deserved relaxation
and fun. Over the next few pages we’ll try to capture the weekend’s key moments and offer a flavour
of what was learned, what’s new, and what the future holds for ADIs
Session 1: G Sabini-Roberts
LGBT awareness
and allyship
Conference opened with a thoughtprovoking
and informative presentation by
G Sabini-Roberts on LGBT awareness and
how ADIs can become effective allies to a
community that still sees barriers and
obstacles in its path, as well as criticism.
Around 10-20 per cent of the UK
population identifies as members of the
LGBTQIA+ community - which means up to
a fifth of your pupils could well place that
description on themselves.
How to address them, be aware of their
needs and offer allyship were all covered in
the session.
G – who identifies as queer and nonbinary,
and uses the pronouns they/them
– offered a wealth of information and
insights on the subject, with the key
message being that everyone has a right to
identify as they wish and have that view
respected.
At the heart of the presentation were
details of the gay and trans communities, as
well as information on intersex pupils.
In working with learners who identify as
LGBTQIA+ ADIs may make mistakes, and
LGBTQIA+
L: Lesbian
G: Gay
B: Bisexual
T: Trans
I: Intersex
A: Asexual
+: + to represent those communities
not represented above
getting the language right is an
important part of acceptance.
G started by pointing out that
views on gender were being
challenged. Gender “is in the brain,
not between the legs”. The sex
you were designated at birth
defines you in our society, but
your sex is actually a
combination of anatomy,
chromosome and hormones.
“People who believe they are wholly male
or female could actually be less so, if they
were to have a full chromosome or
hormone test.”
“It’s up to you how you live your life”
G acknowledged that it is a complex
issue, and that “you will make mistakes
from time to time; the secret is to accept
them, apologise and move on with the
correct terms and language.” However, a
bigger error was making a fuss over a
mistake - “don’t start off by saying, ‘I’m
going to get this wrong…’ as if it is a big deal
for you in the first place, they stressed.
Graphics and
information sheets
courtesy of QueerBox
Avoid assumptions. Many people express
their gender through clothing, but not
everyone. Some female pupils may dress in
an androgynous style, but be heterosexual.
“You don’t have to present as a woman to
be one,” G pointed out.
The language we use is vital. “Pronouns
are critical,” G said. “Ask the pupil first
which pronoun they prefer, and keep
conversations gender neutral until you are
certain of how they present.”
There were some words and phrases that
should be avoided. Never use ‘transsexual’;
it is outdated and considered offensive.
Rather, if your pupil is trans, simply say
trans woman or trans man.
Similarly, never call anyone a
haemaphrodite; they are intersex.
When discussing the issue comments
like ‘You don’t look gay/non-binary’
suggest there is a linear look to all people
which they must comply with. That’s
wrong; people don’t have to follow a set
appearance to be that gender.
Interestingly, one of the biggest
challenges was around a word G used to
describe themselves: Queer. G is happy to
us that phrase but many in the LGBTQIA+
community dislike it and see it as a
18 NEWSLINK n APRIL 2024