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Each year in November, we are reminded of our University\u2019s motto, Ut Vitam Habeant<\/em> \u2013 That They May Have Life. The University is a living memorial to those who died in war<\/a>, and it is important that we remember and respect that.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n However, I do also think about how we might interpret our motto today, almost one hundred years after the end of the First World War. Of course we should still remember those who died in, and as a result of, conflict \u2013 that goes without saying. But in today\u2019s society, there are still a great many people who suffer and whose lives are needlessly cut short, and I wonder if we should perhaps think more broadly about our motto, what it might mean and how we can live up to it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It\u2019s no coincidence that I\u2019m thinking about this today. 20th November marks International Transgender Day of Remembrance<\/a>, an annual event, memorialising the victims of anti-trans violence. The International Transgender Day of Remembrance website<\/a> lists nearly 300 deaths since November 20th 2016. These are just a few of them:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This utterly heart-breaking list goes on for thirty-six page<\/a>s<\/a> \u2013 and that covers just the last twelve months. It includes only those who have been killed by others in anti-trans attacks. Countless more attempt suicide, and many succeed. We don\u2019t have to cast our minds back too far to remember Lucy Meadows<\/a>, the primary School teacher from Accrington, Northwest England, who took her own life in March 2013 after after suffering what the coroner described as “ridicule and humiliation” and a “character assassination” at the hands of the Daily Mail<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This is still just the tip of the iceberg. In a 2015 survey, 48% of Trans people under 26 said they had attempted suicide (almost 30% in the previous year alone)<\/a>. More than four in five young Trans people have self-harmed<\/a>. 38% of Trans people have experienced physical intimidation and threats<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So what can we as a department\/University do, and what can the museum sector we work with do to support Trans people, to try and make change so that Trans people can live more openly, without fear of violence or intimidation?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It strikes me that much of the answer lies in representation, inclusion and support. For example, we have, in our School building, introduced gender neutral toilets<\/a>. I try to avoid expressions and phrases that assume binary gender identities (\u2018welcome everyone\u2019 rather than \u2018welcome ladies and gentlemen\u2019, for example). I try to challenge transphobia or transphobic comments when I hear them. These are simple acts that hurt no one (despite what some in the media would have you believe), but create, I hope, more inclusive environments for everyone.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We also try to introduce Trans issues and representation into our teaching material, taking inspiration from, for example, the brilliant Museum of Transology<\/a>, the Museum of Liverpool\u2019s blockbuster \u2018April Ashley \u2013 Portrait of a Lady<\/a>\u2019 exhibition, programmes like \u2018Never Going Underground<\/a>\u2019 at Manchester\u2019s People\u2019s History Museum<\/a>, or sex and relationship education sessions at the British Museum<\/a>, that are inclusive of Trans and gender identity issues.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n