What’s in a name: queer politics on campus

This paper draws on interviews and archival work examining the history of LGBTQ+ student society at the University of Sussex. It reflects upon the significance of the name changes of the societies on campus over time and considers their role in concerns and political movements in wider society. It explores the experience of student societies in relation to individual and group identity. It looks also at how the Sussex groups were positioned as political through activism, and beyond LGBTQ+ issues and the university. It also considers the relationship between life on campus and other spaces in Brighton and Hove (UK) and explores how town and gown are interwoven in the political, social and cultural experiences of the queer community in Brighton and Hove. The project assembled material over a timeline from 1970 to 2017; from Gay Soc to the LGBTQ+ society. Three key themes are developed from the primary materials: Identity exploration and creation; Queer politics and beyond; Town and gown