Can you tell us a bit about yourself, your background and your area of study?
My name's Jamie and I've been a part of the LGBTIQA+ community since I was 18. I'm 28 with a Bachelor's of Public Health under my belt and working towards my Master of Social Work, here at Caulfield. I am a proud gay man, who's enthusiatically a make-up and pink clothing gender non-conformist. You will likely see me around the respective campuses sporting something pink and eccentric. Please waver me over; there's always time for a chat.
I care very deeply about our community and communities, where our unity and diversity of lived experience embodies our strength. The opportunity to work within and with our LGBTIQA+ community, I don't take very lightly, and I astutely recognise the impacts our different roles and identities have on our lives. Where we consider safe and to what social organisations we belong to is just as fundamentally important to us as our story of learning, beocming and knowing who we are.
What is your new role within the MGAEC, and what are you hoping to achieve over your term in office?
My role within the MGAEC as the Queer Officer across the five campuses is to continue to represent and advocate, on behalf of our LGBTIQA+ graduates, to the top tiers of governance within the MGA and the university. There will be structured opportunities for informal and formal community consultation, in the hopes that you will feel your concerns are deeply listened to, and actioned, with follow-up.
There are umbrella protections to being part of the LGBTIQA+ community and to those of us who are uncertain, feel unsafe, or are undecided in affliating: I will say this - there is strength to diverse voices, presentations, identity, and the way we authentically bring ourselves to the table. We bring the heterogeneity to heteronomativity - a reminder that diversity does in fact strengthens the communities and social groups we're part of, and the societal social contract is constantly rewritten and renegotiated innumerable times each day with and through our reciprocal influence.
I have several ideas, however what I or rather, we, achieve, will be a joint decision making venture. That may shelve my idea of forming a new association 'Ru Paul's Best Friend's Race' for now, however in all seriousness, I am steadfastly geared towards visibility around our respective campuses, and will be asking for continual feedback to ensure we feel resourced as a community, and dedicating some structures so that we can see driving impact and positive change.
What motivated you to join the executive committee? What drives you to make a difference in your graduate student community?
I decided to take on this role, because I am whereI am today because I owe my strength to the innumerable influences of people in my life, most who identified as LGBTIQA+ and/or queer, and lived fearlessly outside heteronormative binaries. The development of my professional identity is, and continues to be, profoundly impacted by the relationships that I formed and developed. My successes are not my own, they belong to others who've formatively influenced me unbeknownst to them and I remain deeply thankful. As I am sure I will be profoundly moved by you.
Here's a quote that's a favourite of mine, and that I strive towards, by Cesar Chavez:
"We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community... our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own."
My commitmment is that I will strive to ensure that there are opportunities, space, and safety for who you are, and there is always a diversity of viewpoint. I am always open to nuanced personal perspectives and it's pretty common to feel uncertain about areas of our life at times and even in processing experiences, I will always be receptive to hearing what you need or want to say.
I will endeavour to work with you and represent you well, and ensure we stay well-connected in reinforcing the great LGBTIQA+ community development work we already have across our campuses!
Always in spirit of humanity; proudly LGBTIQA+.
Yours in Queerness and in the trust, that I acknowledge, is embedded within the conferral of this posiiton held:
Jamie (he/all)
MGA Queer Officer