ETH under the sign of the rainbow
They tend to fly under the radar, but they are there: the LGBT students at ETH. In a spirit of openness, a rainbow banner will be displayed at ETH Zurich’s main building during the Zurich Pride Festival.
There are no official figures on the size of the LGBT community relative to the overall population. The main point of reference is a European survey dating from 2016, according to which about six percent of people are LGBT. An extrapolation of this figure to ETH works out at over 1,200 students who are neither heterosexual nor cisgender. Homosexual and bisexual students at Zurich University and ETH Zurich can join external page L-Punkt, which has about 30 active female members or external page z&h, with about 150 active members. Both associations are connected to the Association of Students at ETH Zurich (VSETH).
Giving the LBGT community a face
Moving on from abstract figures, a discussion with z&h President Alessandro Decaminada and L-Punkt President Sabine Python brings the topic to life. They both study at ETH Zurich and have a common goal: to give a face and a voice to the LGBT community. How do you assess the situation of homosexual and bisexual students at the university? “There is no discrimination against us but homosexuality is not a popular discussion topic at ETH”, says Sabine Python. Alessandro Decaminada adds, laughing: “I keep coming across students who think there aren’t any LGBT students at ETH.” Visibility is therefore the main concern for both associations. They organise regular meetings, give advice for problems and aim to expand their network so that LGBT students know they aren’t alone. “Of course we would appreciate more cover and support from the official ETH side”, says Decaminada. Homosexuality is, for instance, explicitly mentioned on the ETH Respect page, yet a special campaign poster would have been welcome. A notice on the ETH website with contact details for LGBT students would also help to build the community.
“Trans welcome” – including at ETH
Renate Schubert, Associate Vice President for Equal Opportunities and Head of Equal, the Office of Equal Opportunities, can understand the issue very well and she points out that a website is under construction specifically to provide information for transgender people. “The LGBT situation at ETH definitely falls within the remit of Equal – we are going to step up our activities on that front”, comments Schubert.
ETH is not being idle: since the spring the university has been a member of “trans welcome”, which is a portal for Swiss employers and companies who welcome transgender people. Equal is receiving a growing number of inquiries about transgender. As a result, there is increasing cooperation with the Transgender Network Switzerland to find the right solutions for everyone. Many people don’t know that in 2013, ETH Zurich became one of the first universities in Switzerland to implement a regulation to facilitate name changing for transgender people on certificates and diplomas.
Leading universities are becoming more colourful
A survey of the leading American and British universities reveals that they already actively nurture their LGBT community. Harvard has an “Office of BGLTQ Student life”, Oxford offers an “LGBT History Month Lecture” and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has a rainbow-coloured “You are welcome here” page. “I am convinced that ETH will also benefit if it actively welcomes LGBT people, as students who feel secure and accepted, feel, study, work and research better”, argues Decaminada.
Having more open dialogue would also counter the phenomenon that Sabine Python calls the “double stereotype”. The small number of women studying traditionally male degree programmes, such as mechanical engineering, are all too quickly seen as lesbian. That does not just entrench the image of lesbian students as “manly” women. It could also make students who don’t conform to that stereotype uncomfortable because, for example, they are “feminine” lesbians or heterosexual. Doing away with this stereotype could also encourage more women to enrol in those degree programmes.
Rainbow flag at ETH
ETH Zurich will display the rainbow flag, the symbol of the LGBT community, as a banner on its main building at the weekend. “We wanted to make a statement and show that our university is tolerant and open to all. The Zurich Pride Festival is the right time to do that”, says Renate Schubert. Alessandro Decaminada and Sabine Python are very pleased by this gesture on the part of ETH Zurich: “It is a clear statement by ETH that LGBT people are welcome here – great!” L-Punkt and z&h will also have their own stand at the Kasernenareal during the festival. Obviously everyone – of all colours – is very welcome to drop by.