Our Stories, Our Pride is a City St George’s campaign amplifying the voices and experiences of our LGBTQIA+ staff and students.
Through personal reflections and creative expressions, the campaign goes beyond symbols to centre real lives, intersectional identities, and everyday experiences within our university community.
Our aims
Through the Our Stories, Our Pride campaign, our goal is to:
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Humanise inclusion work and EDI commitments
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Foster understanding, empathy, and connection
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Challenge assumptions and stereotypes
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Celebrate diversity within LGBTQIA+ communities
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Support a culture of openness and allyship
Get involved
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We warmly invite LGBTQIA+ staff and students to take part.
You can contribute in ways that feel right for you:
- Written stories or reflections
- Creative submissions (e.g. poetry, artwork, photography).
You choose what to share, how much to share, and whether your name is included. Please familiarise yourself with the submission guidelines.
Our Stories, Our Pride
At City St George's, we aim to celebrate diverse experiences, strengthen belonging and encourage greater empathy, understanding and support across the university community. Sharing stories has the power to break down barriers and foster a deeper sense of empathy and support. It helps us to see beyond our differences and to recognise the strengths and talents each person contributes to our university.
Asma Ashraf (they/them)
Asma is a Lecturer in Adult Nursing and Co-Chair of the LGBTQIA+ Community Inclusion Committee (LCIC).
As a Queer, Muslim, intersex person, I grew up in a conservative and homophobic environment. This experience will likely resonate with many people who live on the margins of society, particularly within the Queer and LGBTQI+ community.
There was little room for self-expression if it did not align with conservative values. As a result, I hid who I was until I felt safe enough to share my truth. Speaking openly in this way is daunting, but I believe it is vital.
I want to be clear: I am proud to be both Muslim and Queer. However, there were many times when non-acceptance caused me to question my beliefs and even my right to exist. Over time, I have come to understand that I can exist fully as both. I have developed my own personal relationship to my faith, while also living a fulfilling Queer life. This reconciliation has taken time and continues to be a journey; it does not mean that everything is now resolved.
As co-chair of the LCIC, I believe we have a responsibility to create environments where people feel safe, valued and included — not merely tolerated. People should be free to share who they are, if and when they choose. By working together with kindness; compassion and respect we can support one another. This may sound idealistic, but it is both possible and everybody’s right.
About the campaign
Our Stories, Our Pride complements our institutional work on equality, diversity, and inclusion by foregrounding lived experience, storytelling, and research.
The campaign features a series of stories from staff and students across roles, disciplines, and identities, highlighting:
- LGBTQIA+ pride, joy, inclusion and belonging
- Stories of resilience, support, and community within higher education
- Intersectional experiences of LGBTQIA+ identity.
Contact us
If you have questions, ideas, or would like support with a submission, please get in touch with the Office for Institutional Equity and Inclusion at edi@citystgeorges.ac.uk.