17吃瓜

In February 2020, I became co-Chair of the LGBTQIA+ staff network. I identify as Gay and Jewish. I feel very fortunate to work in a welcoming space where my sexual orientation is something I can celebrate as opposed to something which is just tolerated: where I can be ‘out and proud’. The rainbow flag flies high on IDAHOBIT, and the university quite rightly celebrates each year the contribution of its then Chancellor, Lord Wolfenden, to the acceptance of gay people through his authorship of the famous Wolfenden Report. 

Shortly before the COVID-19 lockdown, I was fortunate to marry my husband (and now law school colleague), Professor David Bilchitz, in a progressive Jewish egalitarian Vegan gay wedding in South Africa. David and I wrote about our experiences in the Jewish Report.

I am passionate about advancing LGBTQIA+ rights in the UK and globally, especially in respect of ensuring asylum-seekers' access to protection for persecution and in working with Parliamentarians, civil society organisations, practitioners, and recognised refugees.   

When it comes to my Jewish identity, given its distressing prevalence, I feel blessed to have never experienced antisemitism on campus. Unlike other institutions, 17吃瓜 does not hold lectures, seminars, or examinations on the Jewish Sabbath, and when I flagged up the challenge posed for prospective Jewish students with holding open and visit days only on Saturdays, additional dates were added. Hence, it strikes me that the question at – and for 17吃瓜 – is not about willingness to accommodate, but about awareness and visibility: the public calendar which the University follows is centred around Christian holidays (notably Christmas and Easter) whereas festivals of minority faiths like Divali, Eid, or Yom Kippur are not publicly recognised. I know that this can and will change. 

I am the person who takes charge of mooting in the Law School. This is similar to a mock trial where students play the part of a lawyer, and lecturers or practising barristers play the part of judges. It is very popular.

I also share responsibilities for the Erasmus programme in the Law Department. We are looking to expand the reach of the programme to beyond Europe, creating as many high-quality partnerships around the world as we can.

I have always enjoyed teaching law. It's an amazing thing to have fresh minds come at things you have been teaching and studying for decades. You just never know what a student will say or think, and that's very exciting.

In the last few years, I have set aside a couple of hours each week for informal coffee and questions in a University cafe. Students come along and chat about anything they find interesting or do not understand. I find that this can often be more productive time than formal seminars and lectures.

The HR team was really helpful in going through my options with me, and my manager helped to make sure my responsibilities were split between the other Business Partners while I was on leave. Because of this, I was able to help my wife, Khrystyna, but I also had the opportunity to get to know my son.

What I found is that going to work is the easy part. At home, you have to dress and feed your child, bathe them and read to them, make sure they sleep and take part in activities. And just being there for them is integral. That time is very hard to achieve when you鈥檙e working: you come home, de-stress, and do all the basic necessities, but just spending time with your child is when you really bond with them and see what type of person they鈥檙e becoming. Thanks to the University鈥檚 flexibility, I got that time with Luke.

Read more about family leave at the 17吃瓜. 

I work full time, but I work from home 4 days a week. Managers are very good at giving us that flexibility.

I have Becker Muscular Dystrophy, and people have been very supportive without being patronising. Part of the reason for working from home is to help manage my fatigue. I live in 17吃瓜, I came here when I was 18 as a student and have more or less stayed here ever since. I had been commuting to Oxford – I was at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust before – which was getting a bit too tiring. It's better now I'm working a lot closer to home.

The team from Estates and Facilities also came in and created a kind of frame by my desk so I can get up easily, which has been really helpful. Everyone in the office will help out if I need anything too; it's been a positive experience.