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A Stand Against Injustices towards Transgender and Gender-diverse Persons

16 May 2022 | Story Anthony Mthembu

According to the Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Office (GEADO) at the University of the Free State (UFS), an alarming number of transgender and gender-diverse persons at South African institutions of higher learning are consistently met with a great deal of neglect and exclusion. Therefore, it is imperative to constantly shine light on the injustice and violation of their human rights in order to enable spaces that acknowledge their lived realities and uphold their human dignity.

The importance of the march

As such, the Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Office will be hosting a transgender march on the Bloemfontein Campus on 17 May 2022.

“The aim of this march is to raise awareness about issues of transsexuality and gender-diverse individuals. We hope to accentuate the voices of transgender individuals and gender-diverse persons on our campuses,” expressed Delisile Mngadi, Assistant Officer in the Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Office. The march will commence at 09:30 from the Main Gate and will end at the Centenary Complex. In addition, members of the Gender Equality and Anti-Discrimination Office argue that the purpose of the march is to remind members of the UFS community and the society at large that the stories, the voices, and experiences of transgender and gender-diverse individuals do matter.

An invitation to staff and students

Members of the UFS community, regardless of how they identify, are invited to take part in the march. “It is also important that cishetero persons attend the march; this shows that they stand in support of all gender-diverse persons, and it is also a great opportunity to learn. Another reason why it is important for cisgender persons to attend the march is because violence and discrimination targeted at transgender persons remain a daily reality on our campuses, which inadvertently maintains heteronormative notions and patriarchal power that validates transphobia and homophobia,” Mngadi indicated.

UFS staff and students who will be in attendance can expect to hear speeches from a few invited dignitaries. In addition, Mngadi, along with other members of the office, maintains that this is an opportunity for staff and students to engage with one another. The march is particularly important because it will teach staff and students “to be aware of the diversity that exists within our institution, a diversity that transcends language, religion, and ethnicity – to name just a few. People will also learn to respect this diversity, and most importantly, to understand that all lives matter”, said Mngadi.

News Archive

UFS makes history as a second researcher – Prof Melanie Walker – receives NRF A-rating

2014-12-03

Prof Melanie Walker
Photo: Sonia Small

Prof Melanie Walker, Senior Research Professor at the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Centre for Research on Higher Education and Development (CRHED) has received an A1 rating from the National Research Foundation (NRF). This rating acknowledges Prof Walker as a leading international researcher – her work unequivocally recognised by peers world-wide for its high quality and wide impact.

This is the first time in our institution’s history that two A-ratings are awarded simultaneously. Prof Maxim Finkelstein from the Department of Mathematical Statistics also recently received an A2-rating in Probability and Statistics from the NRF.

“Achieving this outstanding rating,” Prof Walker says, “is not just an individual achievement. I have had tremendous personal support and rich intellectual collaborations from wonderful colleagues on the way. The award also recognises the Rector’s project to build a dynamic research culture at UFS.”

Prof Walker has been researching and writing about issues in education and higher education for over 20 years. In particular she is interested in opportunities into, through and beyond education across dimensions of dis/advantage, and how higher education contributes to building a decent society by removing inequalities in its own policies and processes.

Through her focus on capacity building – around the common theme of higher education, human development and social justice – Prof Walker is developing a dynamic cohort of new-generation scholars. Her research group of graduate students and post-doctoral fellows is drawn from countries not only in Africa, but as far afield as Finland, India and Vietnam.

Her networks attract international scholars to the UFS, who contribute to research projects, engage graduate students, and add a considerable contribution to research at our university.

In addition, Prof Walker fulfils a host of roles, which includes:

• Tier One National Research Foundation (NRF) Chair in Higher Education and Human Development.
• Vice-President of the international Human Development and Capability Association (HDCA).
• Fellow of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf).
• Honorary professor, University of Nottingham, UK.

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