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Gender Expression Fund

SUSU’s Gender Expression Fund is a fund of £750 that looks to support Trans and Non-Binary students with the additional expenses that come with transitioning or not conforming to the traditional gender binary. Students can apply for a maximum of £50 of funding. While in its trial phase, it aims to support students in living their most authentic self, regardless of their economic background. 

The Gender Expression Fund was created in collaboration with the LGBTQ+ Officer as recognition of the financial burden faced by students undergoing any level of gender identity transition. The Gender Expression Fund aims to support students in becoming their true selves while at university and increase their sense of belonging and participation in extra-curricular and career opportunities.

Submit Request Form

The Gender Expression Fund can support with reimbursement of items that can support Trans and Non-Binary students live as their true self. This includes:

  • Breast forms
  • Chest binders
  • Clothes
  • Haircuts
  • Makeup
  • Packers
  • Tucking underwear
  • Wigs

SUSU can provide up to £50 per application.

To be eligible for aid by the Gender Expression Fund, a student must:

  • Be currently studying a course at the University of Southampton
  • Identify as Trans, Non-binary, Intersex, or otherwise Gender Diverse
  • Have reasonable need for items to be covered by the fund (i.e. not already have lots of the item they are requesting unless they are needing to replace it) – this is trust-based and self-declared by the student so SUSU will not request any proof.
  • Have not already accessed the fund this year (unless extreme hardship or change of circumstances, clothing size, etc mean there is a need to access again).
  • Not be requesting items with excessive costs, e.g. custom products, unless explicitly necessary for reasons of sizing or access needs.

Accessing the Fund

How do I access the Gender Expression Fund?

All you need to do is fill out the Gender Expression Fund request form, and our team will take it from there. You will be contacted by them when a decision has been taken.

Submit Request Form

Who has access to the details I submit via the Request Form?

Only the Advice Centre team and VP Welfare & Community will have access to the details you submit via the application form. The information is kept in strict confidence. The Head of Advice, Sam Scott, will raise any invoice for reimbursement and the Finance Team will not know details, except the name and the reimbursement required.

 Once I have submitted the form, what happens next?

  • Applications will be reviewed as they come in by the Advice Centre team. You will receive notification when your application has been approved or declined or if the team need you to provide further details.
  • You will then purchase the item that has been approved and email a photograph of the receipt to the member of staff you have discussed the application with.
  • The member of staff will then raise the invoice with our Finance Team, and you will receive confirmation of reimbursement and the date you are expected to be reimbursed (generally within 2-4 weeks).

FAQs

SUSU will only provide a maximum of £50 per application. You will be unable to apply twice for the same product to cover the amount needed. If the item is over £50, the additional amount will need to be covered by you.

The SUSU Gender Expression Fund cannot fund all applications, and therefore, we have this section to find further support.

The Health & Wellbeing Fund set up by the University of Southampton can be used to fund gender-affirming items, therapeutic appointments, or even financial support towards surgery up to £500 per academic year. Please note that the fund has eligibility requirements based on household income and you will need to provide bank statements as proof of need. You can find out more here: Funding your Opportunities | The Student Hub | University of Southampton.

If you primarily live in London, We Exist has a Trans Healthcare Fund that offers a no-strings-attached £50 grant to financially assist ongoing healthcare costs for trans people in London. You can find more information here: Healthcare Fund — We Exist.

You may already know what you want to purchase and where you’d like to purchase it. However, if you are unsure, we have collated a list of suppliers in the UK.

What they are

A binder reduces the apparent size of breasts. It flattens the chest area.

Where to buy

Binder safety

Please find several articles on how to bind safely. There are health risks associated with binding that can be reduced by binding safely. The following articles have rules and tips to stay safe and healthy.

Measuring for a binder

Check out this article by gc2b Affirming Apparel on how to measure for a binder. The article includes a video tutorial and a printable ruler if you need to measure with string and do not have a flexible measuring tape.

What it is

A packer is a prosthetic device which may be worn by transgender men or non-binary individuals to create the appearance of male genitalia. You may need to also purchase packing underwear or a harness to ensure the packer stays in place.

Where to buy

To keep the packer in place, we advise also purchasing packer underwear or a packer harness. If you are requesting funding for a packer, you can also apply for packing accessories within the same application. However, the limit per application will remain at £50.

Packing accessories

What they are

A Stand to Pee (or StP) is a portable, reusable device designed for people born with a vulva to urinate while standing up. We apologise for the gendered language on some of the websites, unfortunately, there are not many StP brands in the UK.

Where to buy

What they are

A Stand to Pee packer (or StP packer) is a prosthetic device designed to enable transgender men or non-binary individuals to urinate while standing. You may also require packing accessories to go alongside the StP packer to keep it in place. If you are requesting funding for a StP device, you may also apply for packing accessories within the same application. However, the limit per application will remain at £50.

Where to buy

Where to buy

The cost of a breast form can range and be quite expensive. Please remember that SUSU can only cover up to £50 per application.

What it is

Tucking underwear (or a ‘gaff’) is a pair of compression underwear that reduces the visibility of the penis and testes by ‘tucking’ them into a less visible position. It can help individuals fit certain clothing designs (like swimwear) in a way that is more comfortable and affirming.

Where to buy

Tucking safely

While there is currently no published medical research into the risks of tucking, there are some potential side effects including skin irritation, fungal infections, and chronic testicular pain.

Please find articles that share how to tuck safely and comfortably.

 

Makeup can create shadows and contours that can affect the outward appearance of an individual. It can also be effective to cover up things like beard shadow/5 o’clock shadow. We have included some less gendered guides to using makeup.

Where to buy

There are also brands that are designed exclusively to be genderless which are included here:

While getting a new wardrobe can be a daunting and expensive task, there are ways around it, including charity shops or clothes swaps. You can even tailor old clothes to make them more fitted or looser depending on preference.

Here are some brands with trans and non-binary individuals in mind.

Southampton also has clothes swaps and sewing clubs that can help you with tailoring clothes. Lottie (VP Welfare & Community) has reached out to both local groups to ensure that they are inclusive and trans-friendly. *

 

If you have any further questions or feel anything is missing (including brands or companies that supply gender-affirming products), please contact advice@soton.ac.uk