Time flies! The University of Twente has been a dynamic campus in 2024, navigating financial challenges and political changes, yet remaining a hub of passionate and talented staff and students. Many people contributed to making our campus a vibrant place to work and study. As Th!nk with Pride, we are proud to have played a role in this. Let’s take a moment to reflect on the milestones, moments of visibility, and efforts in education and research that shaped 2024.
Th!nk with Pride is the UT network for LGBTQ+ staff and students, dedicated to advancing visibility, equity, and inclusion within the university (together with allies!). We aim to create an environment where everyone—from students to teachers, staff to faculty, and LGBTQ+ people to their allies—can be their authentic selves. Moving beyond tolerance, we strive for genuine celebration and integration across research, education, policy, and organizational practices.
Events
In 2024 we co-organised, hosted and joined interesting events:
Pink Film Festival 2024 (June 7-9): A highlight of Pride Month, the first edition of this brand-new film festival was co-organized with Concordia and Stonewall, spotlighting untold queer stories and gaining significant media attention (1Twente, Huis aan Huis Enschede, Tubantia).
- Movie with Pride (every second Tuesday of the month): Our monthly film series with Concordia continued to bring queer narratives and makers to the general public. The series is still running to this day.
- Third annual Pride Symposium (October 16): Now in its third year, we again hosted this staple event of the Rainbow Days Enschede together with our partners from Th!nk with Pride Saxion. With the theme of Building Bridges, the symposium brought together speakers from research and business to discuss LGBTQ+ inclusion.
- Platform Groot (May 14): We engaged UT study advisors, student psychologists, and career counsellors through an educational session focused on real-life LGBTQ+ student experiences. Using these cases as conversation starters, we supported this group—whose close role to students makes them vital for student well-being—in deepening their understanding of queer students' needs and experiences on campus.
Being visible
In 2024, we were visible in various ways:
Kick-In (August 21): We welcomed new students with a proud and visible rainbow stand, blasting Chappell Roan from the speakers, and crafting pronoun and flag keychains. Our stand stood alongside other fantastic initiatives focused on DEI, including Exaltio, Amnesty UTwente and the DE&I Team, creating awareness and fostering inclusion from the very start of the academic year.
- Purple Friday (December 13): A day of solidarity and support for LGBTQ+ youth on campus. We joined the national online campaign (COC Paarse Vrijdag), sharing the manifesto and tips and tools to show up purple. We shared tips and tools to show up purple in style, including how to select your pronouns in Teams and Canvas! A big shoutout to Linda Pasqual-Vanderlanden and the DEI team for making this long-awaited feature a reality.
- Celebrating LGBTQ+ awareness days: Throughout the year, we proudly marked important remembrance days and awareness periods, including Trans Day of Visibility (March 31), IDAHOBIT (May 17), and Coming Out Day (October 11).
- Media representation: Th!nk with Pride contributed to public conversations, including a feature in Tubantia: "Tolerantie voor queer verdwijnt als sneeuw voor de zon zodra het zichtbaar wordt".
A campus for all
Our campus should be accessible and enjoyable for all users, in 2024 we worked in that in various ways:
- All-gender toilets (February): The realization of 26 all-gender toilets across campus, including new housing like Capitool. Read more here.
- Partnerships across campus: We partnered with other individuals and groups working to improve queer inclusion on campus, including CELT, who developed an inclusive classroom course this year, and the EEMCS Diversity, Equity & Inclusion team, who we advised on DE&I in onboarding practices.
Education and research
Throughout 2024 we were proud and happy to host many fantastic students during their internships and graduation projects. In April, Jan Behrens completed her graduation research on queer minority stress & resilience and even won the Best Presentation Award at the 2024 Association for Researchers in Psychology and Health conference. In July, Reshma successfully wrapped up her internship on minority stress in queer international students. We've also had the pleasure of supervising Mihai, Josie, Mars, Amelie, and Alec’ bachelor theses on various LGBTQ+ topics. Now, we're excited to have Sophie on board as our current intern working on digital transgender healthcare.
If you're a student interested in working on topics like these, don't hesitate to reach out: we’d love to hear from you!
In loving memory
This year, we unexpectedly had to say goodbye to a valued member of our community. Hellen was a kind, fun, diligent, active member of Th!nk with Pride who aimed to improve inclusivity and understanding between people and to increase the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community on campus. She hoped to show other trans, non-binary and queer people that they are not alone. We miss her dearly.
Hellen (Hellebore) Fass (1987 – 2024)
We are proud of the strides made in 2024, made possible by the collective efforts of students, staff, and allies. Let’s keep building an inclusive and celebratory campus for everyone in 2025!