PrideSoc: A Reflection
At the close of Pride Month, PrideSoc President Poppy Watson discusses the Society’s achievements this year, and the need for such an active, visible queer Society on campus.
At the beginning of 2024, PrideSoc was put up for adoption by EUSA. About ten of us decided to step in and adopt the society, creating a new constitution, updating the welfare procedures, and we had our first Annual General Meeting, where even more fabulous folks joined us. We wanted to ensure that the university had a dedicated space for queer folks, especially for those arriving in a new city, country, or place. We felt that having an active, visible queer society is essential within such a large institution.
Welcome Week was a fantastic time filled with fabulous events. We started with a Pub Crawl. Tuesday began with our Welcome Week stall in the tent and finished with a big quiz. Wednesday was picnic day, and we rounded off the week with a chill coffee social. Our first big event was at Halloween, where we had a Rocky Horror Picture Show screening. It was a fantastic event with popcorn, drinks, singing and some truly iconic costumes. At the start of November, we had our first General Meeting during which we incorporated Slay. F.C - a queer all-inclusive football club founded at the start of 2024 by myself and Ourie, our trans and NB rep – into the society. We later created a dedicated role of Slay F.C. coordinator. In mid-November, we held a gender-affirming clothing swap in the Potterrow Dome. The following week, we joined other university societies to honour Trans Day of Remembrance – coming together to remember those lost to transphobic violence and stand in solidarity.
To round off the first semester, we had a big Gayleigh, which we funded through the development fund. This incredible event brought together students and staff to enjoy a traditional Scottish ceilidh without the pressure of gendered language or roles. We hope to rerun this event next year - perhaps in collaboration with other societies and universities - as it was such fun. For many, it was their very first ceilidh, and it was magical to see people dancing freely as themselves, with music from a queer and trans folk band - The pied pipers.
Semester Two kicked off with a pub social hosted by Slay F.C. – a fabulous chance for new and returning players to reconnect after the winter break. Next up was our Jazz Night fundraiser, held in collaboration with Timebends – a play created by one of our committee members. It was a fantastic evening of live music and dancing. On 31st January, we held our annual Open Mic Night in collaboration with The feminist society. This unforgettable event raised £925 for Scottish_Trans through ticket sales and art, created by Enbean Art. This night was a real passion project for myself and Rhiannon, FemSoc’s VP at the time, and we were absolutely delighted that it won Collaboration of the Year at the EUSA Student Awards.
For Valentine’s Day, we hosted a relaxing jewellery-making session at kafe kweer, run by our wonderful Social Secs and Welfare team. During LGBT History Month, our fabulous reps created an online feature sharing facts and stories from their communities – a vibrant digital celebration of queer history. We closed the semester with our Spring Revelry at the Voodoo Rooms. Themed around the 1970s, the event was filled with speciality cocktails, dancing, crafts, and flowers, a beautiful way to wrap up the academic year. This summer, we took on Edinburgh Pride and created a student section in collaboration with QMU and Strathclyde.
Heading into the next academic year, we’ll be welcoming a new committee of returning and fresh faces who are all ready to create amazing events! We have so much planned for next year, including a very busy welcome week with events including our annual Pub Crawl, a trip to the Lavender Menace Queer Book Archive, Slay F.C. taster sessions, REP meet-ups (for Representatives of specific community groups to come together), yoga, craft socials, a workshop on the university’s queer history and resources, a frolick, Crafternoon, and an exciting collaboration with Lighthouse Books. We will also be holding an Annual General Meeting in Week 1 to fill some open committee roles too – so perhaps you should join!
I’m incredibly proud of what the PrideSoc committee has achieved over the last year. Everyone dedicated time, energy, and passion and built a strong foundation for the society to flourish – well done everyone!