One of the greater challenges of settling in university is finding activities to do and friends to do them with. This is especially true when you’ve moved to Cardiff from a different city. So when you add the anxiety that comes with being LGBT+, it can genuinely feel very lonely and terrifying to go out and meet people. Fortunately, like most universities, Cardiff university has a variety of LGBT+ friendly societies that anyone can join. This blog post is specifically about the official LGBT+ society within Cardiff University and what it has to offer.

Socials

The official LGBT+ society of Cardiff university, this society is the ultimate safe space for all LGBT+ students in Cardiff. Its the perfect place to be yourself without fear of judgement or harassment. My first CU Pride social was the Kings’ Karaoke night, I remember it was also the first time I had ever dressed fem outside. It felt great to be able to present myself how I wanted without being judged for it.

Additionally, CU Pride is also one of the few free-to-join societies in Cardiff University. They have several alcoholic and non-alcoholic socials every month which they let members know in advance in their monthly email. For alcoholic socials, they normally meet up in one of the few LGBT+ bars and clubs in Cardiff, more specifically, Kings and Pulse where they do themed events such as costume parties and karaoke night. For non-alcoholic socials, they normally rent a room in the Student Union building to run indoor activities or go somewhere else such as bowling centers or cafes. Whilst not as common, they also have a handful of online socials spread out across the year.

Discord

Alongside socials, Cardiff University’s LGBT+ society also has its own discord server—this is fairly common for a lot of societies. The link to the discord server is on the official page of the society on the Student Union website. You can also email the society’s social media officer (me—starting next year) for the invite link. It is worth noting that a discord account is required but it is easy to set up and free. Downloading the desktop and/or the mobile app might be worth doing too as it will be the easiest and most convenient form of communication within the society.

The society’s discord has several channels for different topics such as gaming, memes, music etc… It also has a voice channel where the online socials are held sometimes. There are also channels dedicated to venting or asking for help with all manner of things as well as an optional channel for finding housemates. However, it is worth nothing that, for safety reasons, you must be a member of the society before you can join the discord. There is a verification process for this which is easy and does not take long.

Other services

Finally, the society also has other services that it can offer to its members. Notably, the society has a new member’s representative whose job is to listen to concerns from new members (both to the university and society) and help them however they can or direct their concerns to the presidents who will deal with it instead. They also run a (usually weekly or bi-weekly) drop-in session where new members (or any member really) can come in to either vent or talk about issues they’re facing and how to deal with them.

Conclusion

To conclude, Cardiff University’s LGBT+ society is definitely worth joining if you’re a LGBT+ student yourself. It’s the ultimate safe-space to be yourself without judgement. And even if you’re extremely introverted, and do not like to go out much or do not enjoy alcoholic events, its still one of the best places for making long-lasting friendships within the university.

Useful Links

• CU Pride webpage link: LGBT+ Society (cardiffstudents.com)