While being on ERASMUS in Limerick — a beautiful, small city in Ireland, that boasts a large population of international students every year — I found out that two years ago, a Maltese student who arrived at the same university on ERASMUS loved it so much that she transferred here, and has been a full-time student ever since.
Marielle Xuereb is 21 years old, and doing pretty well for herself living away from Malta. Apart from integrating well into University life in Limerick, she has also become the President of the LGBTQ+ society at UL, something that, in Malta, might have been near-impossible. Finding time before a class we (coincidentally) shared, Marielle and I sat down for a quick lunch and a few questions about life in Limerick.
“The thing about UL is that there’s more of a campus life, and you can be as involved as you want to be,” she says. “I mean, there’s bars on campus, and it’s not a boring Uni life. In Malta, you go to lectures, you go back home, there’s nothing much going on. It’s an immersive experience here, and living at University is a total lifestyle of its own.” When asked about Malta, she gives a small laugh. “Malta’s different. It’s not better or worse, just different; even if I do personally prefer Limerick. We’ve got student organizations in Malta, but it’s very limited participation. And as I’m part of the Clubs and Societies group on campus here, I can see the differences there.”
Conversation quickly led to OUT in UL, the LGBTQ+ society in Limerick, and I could sense the pride when she talked about the society she had come to lead. “I had been on the executive for a semester. A close friend of mine was President at the time, and he wanted to step down. I had come out — what? A month before? — and my friends convinced me to run for President. I knew I wanted to go up in the society, that I wanted to give back to the group that had helped me so much, although I wasn’t totally comfortable with the idea at first. But, it was worth it.”
OUT in UL has grown over the years, and currently sports a large number of members and a great executive backing Marielle. This seems to have had a positive effect on campus, even if just for the members of the society. “The more active members there are, the more people attend, and the more friends you make. Walking around campus gives you a sense of community. You see them at meetings and outside of them, and it helps you know that you’re not alone.” Welfare officers on campus also make UL safer for LGBTQ+ people on campus, as they fall under their care.
Of course, a President is nothing without her crew. All the executive is elected, and must have an open mind and an open heart, be willing to help anyone, and not display any sort of phobia — homophobia, transphobia, biphobia, and the list goes on. The executive is also trained, by personal choice, in counselling services, suicide prevention, safety talks (methods of conversation to approach people contemplating suicide) and assist services (the next step after safety talks). At least one person on the executive has to have been trained as such previously.
When asked about the LGBTQ+ scene, both in Malta and in Limerick, Marielle took a deep breath before responding. “The scene at University and the scene in town is much different. I must admit, I’m not very aware of the scene in Malta from here, but it does seem limited. Here, whether you’re in Limerick City or on campus, there’s always something to do. The best experience for me was that I get to go to various events all over the country, and meet new people every time. I feel like Limerick works as a very big village, so everything is very immersive here. However, whether it’s a small or a big university, people’s limitations are still there. It doesn’t feel like something bigger here — size wise, yes; people wise, no.” In her opinion, the mindset at UOM is broader, because it’s the only university around. UOM activities become something nationwide when they’re big and publicized right. “It’s all about perspective — here, we’re part of clubs and societies; in Malta, you’re part of an NGO, an organization. It’s, in some ways, taken more seriously in Malta.”
Luckily, Marielle has never had to face any sort of problem on campus. “There’s a culture of acceptance here. I’ve never heard of anybody being attacked in town — just heckled. It’s generally more accepting here than in Malta; they’re more open.”
The generic question on labelling did come up, and Marielle gave a long sigh before answering. “Labels are useful and are there for anyone who wants to use them to do so, but they aren’t so important. People should use them to the extent that they want to, but that’s it. Some people use them because it helps them, but they shouldn’t carry so much weight. We give power to words, and labels shouldn’t be given that power.”
Being the President of a society such as OUT, I was sure that Marielle had some advice to give to others leading similar organizations that focused on helping youth in some way or another. She gave me a simple set of instructions that seemed to be the best route for any such organization — listen to your members, keep an eye out on current situations, try to be relevant in your meetings, and always be supportive.
Our final discussion point veered a bit closer to home — specifically, Malta. In her eyes, Malta seems to be doing well on the LGBTQ+ rights front — “better than Ireland,” she jokingly says. “But on a people level, it’s going to need time and education. With the cultural climate and religious influence, even more so. We need to grab a hold of an open mind and break heteronormativity’s vicious cycle.” There have been good advancements with the law, she points out, but she chooses to stay in Limerick because, for her, it’s much more comfortable than Malta. “It’s not because of backward ruling, but because of the general atmosphere. I feel like I can be myself here, more so than I ever could in Malta.”
I would personally like to wish Marielle and the rest of her executive team good luck with the rest of their term on the team, and a well done on running a successful society!