Student Special: Laura Harmon Interview

Laura Harmon, recently elected President of the Union of Students of Ireland, knows all about sexual discrimination. “As a gay person who grew up in a Gaeltacht, rural area, I know what it feels like to have to hide an intrinsic part of yourself away for fear of rejection,” she said after her election at the USI’s annual congress in Athlone last April. “We need to work to eradicate the oppression lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people face. Equal access to civil marriage in Ireland is a civil rights issue of our generation and students will be a leading voice in the 2015 marriage equality campaign.”

A graduate of UCC, Harmon is from Ballyvourney, a Gaeltacht area in north west Cork. She has four younger sisters. An Irish speaker – though it wasn't the first language in the Harmon house – she is USI's first female President in 20 years. Hot Press met Harmon in a Dublin city centre hotel. An attractive 26-year-old blonde, she sips tap water, and speaks quietly but confidently.

When you were elected, you talked about being closeted in a Gaeltacht area in Cork. When did you first realise you were gay?
I realised I was gay from a very young age. You become aware, that there is something different about you in terms of who you’re attracted to or who you fancy. I didn’t come out in secondary school. I would never have felt in a position to do that — or even to accept it myself. I didn’t have any role models that were openly out as gay. It was never talked about in school; it was never referenced by any of the teachers that it was okay to be gay. It was difficult, but when I did decide to come out, my parents were extremely supportive; my family were great, and my friends as well.

Did you resent the fact that at school, there was no education in that regard?
I didn’t resent it, because I didn’t have any expectations at that age. But now I can see the huge importance. All schools should have some focus around identity and inclusivity and awareness of the different families that make up society. That would really help to create more cultural tolerance in Ireland. Strides have been made over the last number of years – for example through our fantastic LGBT youth organisation. They’ve been doing loads of work in secondary schools around this issue.

Had you any role models in the wider world?
They varied over the years. Certainly my grandmother would have been a huge role model. My grandparents were very supportive of me growing up, and always had a strong sense of justice. They were quite open-minded, and my parents as well were fantastic. David Norris was a huge role model: he was extremely courageous in taking the case to decriminalise homosexual acts. And then Senator Katherine Zappone – she married her partner in Canada and they’re still trying to get their marriage recognised in Ireland. Outside of that, Mary Robinson was a huge role model. As the first female President of Ireland she was fantastic – and she was a student activist herself as well.

What was the reaction when did you finally come out?
It was in second year. The reaction was really positive. The first person was a student counsellor. I went to speak about the issues in a confidential way. So that was really useful, to come out to a stranger like that and have a really positive reaction. Then I told my friends one to one and they were all very positive. I had no negative reaction at all. My parents were very supportive. Obviously it was quite a shock to a lot of people, but at the end of the day they didn’t care as long as I was happy. But I wish I could have come out at school; and I wish other LGBT young people nowadays could come out at a much younger age. But it is becoming more accepted.

What was the most negative reaction you had?
To be honest, the hardest person to come out to was myself. It’s because you really internalise the negativity and the homophobia when you’re growing up and see it as something intrinsically wrong. But I’m very lucky: I’ve never experienced any homophobic attacks or any serious verbal abuse. I know that many people have had negative experiences, but I’ve had a very supportive family and friends. But I know people who are still afraid to come out to their parents even though they’re in long-term relationships — and I’ve seen how hard that can be.

Are you in a long term relationship?
No, I’m single at the moment. I was in a relationship for a number of years when I was in college.

Did you get involved in LGBT organisations in UCC?
I did indeed. I made my first gay friends through the LGBT society in UCC. And I realised there was a whole world out there – that there are so many gay people in the world. It was fascinating to realise that this whole culture and community existed. I went on to be head of that society as well, and that led me into student activism.

So it politicised you?
Definitely. I got involved with the Amnesty International Society in college and with the Students' Union as well.

What’s been your role in USI to date?
I got into student activism through an equality perspective. I was the Equality and Citizenship Officer for two years.

Will that be a focus of your term?
Absolutely. But equality ties into all the issues in the Union’s work. The fact that students are being locked out of education means there’s an equality issue – and the maintenance grant only works out at €84 per week, lower than any other State payment in the country. So everything we do ties into that.

Are you a member of a political party?
No. I think it’s important that the President of USI is not affiliated to any political party. I identify broadly as a social democrat and when I was in college I was involved with Labour Youth to an extent, because the ideas they espoused in terms of equality appealed to me. But I am very disappointed with the Labour Party in government. Student politics is my politics.

How vicious are student politics?
I wouldn’t say they’re vicious (laughs). All politics are competitive, but it’s very rewarding. You get to meet people from different backgrounds with varied political beliefs and interests. I think the student movement as a whole is a progressive movement. Overall, I think people are happy with the direction the movement is going in.

What direction is that?
We’re fighting to protect student supports: that’s going to be one of our key campaigns this year. The student maintenance grant, for example, was protected in last year’s budget and that was the first year it was protected in five years, so that’s a priority. We have the marriage equality referendum in the second semester – so registering students to vote and committing to campaigning for that is a huge priority. We’re bringing back our activist academy this year so we’re hoping to extend our reach and hopefully bring in those students who are politically minded and empower them to work on the issues they care about. We’re very active around pro-choice issues as well and women’s rights.

Did you get a student grant yourself when you were at UCC?
Yeah. It was absolutely vital to enable me to access third-level education. It‘s very worrying at the moment to see so many students being locked out of the system, who can’t afford to keep themselves in college even on the maintenance grant. I had a part-time job when I was in college, in a hotel, but it’s becoming increasingly hard to find part-time work. Also, there's now an accommodation crisis, with rising rents. There’s been a 17% rise in overall rents in the Dublin region over the last twelve months and there’s been a 10% national increase. So the majority of students’ money will go on rent. Many of them are commuting long distances if they can’t afford to pay for accommodation or they’re staying on friend’s couches.

Do you welcome the return of digs?
I think it’s positive that more homeowners are looking to rent out a room to students; it’s something USI has been promoting. We’ve set up our ‘Homes For Study’ campaign, and we have a website called homes.usi.ie, where homeowners can advertise if they have a spare room to rent. We’re making the connection between the students and the homeowner and we’ve nearly 300 places advertised on that site at the moment.

It wouldn't work for every student.
Some students would love to be able to stay on campus for the duration of their studies but unfortunately there is a lack of on-campus accommodation and some of the prices are very prohibitive. For first years in particular, digs can be a great option: you’re staying with a family so it’s a very safe environment and often your meals are provided. But the government really needs to address this issue. There is a scheme – the rent-a-room relief scheme – where you can rent out a room for up to €10,000 per year tax free. That’s something we’ve been trying to promote. It’d be great if the government would put their weight behind promoting that to the general public. But that’s a short-term measure. There needs to be a commitment for more purpose-built student accommodation, particularly in Dublin.

Is mental health a big issue?
Absolutely. Mental health ties in with so many other issues, particularly student finances. It’s very difficult to be a student at the moment. The way things have shaped up over the last number of years, students have been consistently targeted in consecutive budgets by the government and we’ve seen a reduction in spending on youth mental health services. It needs investment. USI is running our More Talk, More Action campaign again this year. We’ve always advocated that people should be open about talking about their mental health, and indeed if someone comes to you with a mental health issue, you should be open in how you address it.

There is an issue about suicide too.
The youth suicide rate in Ireland is exceptionally high compared to other European countries; it’s actually quite frightening. A lot of it relates to finances, and to social exclusion as well. If you look at the social welfare cuts in the last budget,young people on social welfare are expected to live on very little. For people in rural areas, if they’re unemployed and they’re trying to apply for a job in an urban area, it’s so expensive even to travel for an interview and I don’t think that’s taken into consideration. The cuts have squeezed a lot of young people out to the margins of society and made them feel very isolated.

Is bullying an issue in Irish universities?
There are different types of bullying. Online bullying has become a lot more prevalent with social media. Everyone has a smartphone – well almost everyone! – and posting pictures of people online without their consent is a huge problem. As we found out in our USI 'Say Something' survey last year, sexual harassment is an issue as well..

What’s your average day as USI president?
Every day varies. I’m the chief spokesperson for the organisation so I do a lot of interviews. Sometimes my mornings start with a phone call at 7am asking me to go on a show that morning or that afternoon. I spend a lot of time meeting different organisers and stakeholders or I travel around to our member student unions and assist them with their own local campaigns and their team planning for the year. We also conduct training for students and student union officers.

You’re the first female president in 20 years.
That’s certainly something a lot of people highlight, but I don’t think gender matters when it comes to how competent you are. I’ve certainly never felt there’s been any negativity towards me because of my gender.

Why do you think the presidents have been men for the last 19 years?
Student politics has not been representative. The majority of students union presidents around the country are men. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but it’s not representative of the wider student body. Of course, this is reflected in national politics as well.

What’s the USI policy on drug legalisation?
We have a mandate from our most recent congress to explore the feasibility of the legalisation of cannabis. That’s something our welfare officer will be looking into, but we don’t have a stance when it comes to legalising drugs. It needs to be explored further, as to what effects that would have on society.

Are you familiar with the Students for Sensible Drugs Policy organisation?
I’m hoping to meet them. I know it’s an issue they’ve been working on. It’s certainly something many young people feel strongly about, and we will be engaging in that debate.

Have you ever experimented with drugs yourself?
The only drug I’ve tried is cannabis. It’s actually not something that appeals to me. I wouldn’t be interested in trying other drugs. I think alcohol, as a drug, is bad enough for many young people and there’s a huge alcohol problem in this country. That, too, is an issue we’ll be working on this year.

A lot of students tend to go wild in their first year of college...
It’s only natural when you move away from home that you have this fresh lease of life and independence. It’s natural to avail of the fun that college has to offer. I certainly don’t disapprove of anyone who does that But students should look after themselves as well. It all ties back to looking after your mental health and your well-being.

Do you believe in God?
I’m not a religious person. I don’t identify as an atheist either. I’m agnostic, open to the idea maybe that there is some sort of wider energy out there in the universe. But I’m not religious and I don’t believe in God.

What makes your blood boil?
Seeing injustice in society and seeing people mistreated, be it because of where they’re from or because of their identity or sexuality or gender. That’s why I got involved in activism in the first place; I’ve a very strong sense of justice.

When was the last time you cried?
When my grandfather died earlier this year. The day after I got elected as USI president, he passed away.

Have you met the Minister for Education?
We were the first education-focused organisation to meet Jan O'Sullivan, after she was appointed. It was an introductory meeting, but I highlighted the need to protect student supports. I also highlighted the student accommodation issue very strongly with her. She has a lot of experience and I certainly think her heart will be in the right place. But she’s going to have a very difficult battle ahead to outline the need for education to be protected and the need for investment in education.

What's USI's policy on investment?
There’s a huge question mark as to how higher education should be funded. The Union of Students in Ireland’s position is that education should be free and it should be publicly funded. It’s very important we don’t go down the route of the UK or the USA when it comes to student loans or graduate taxes or the levels of debt those countries have. In Ireland in particular we have very high levels of personal debt, so it’s not something that families can afford to take on.

What kind of music do you like?
I’d listen to a fair bit of '80s stuff. I like the Cure, I like the Coronas, I love Lana Del Rey. I saw her in the Marquee in Cork a few weeks back: she's a breath of fresh air. I listen to the Foo Fighters – I loved Nirvana when I was growing up.

Who are your favourite authors?
My favourite book is Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte. It’s very unusual both in the way it’s written and the way the plot develops. I like Joseph O’Connor. I read a lot of biographies – I’m reading Hillary Clinton’s new book at the moment.

What's your personal ambition?
To give this role 110%. I feel very privileged to be elected to lead the students of Ireland. Hopefully, looking back, I’ll be able to say that we were successful in getting our case across — and that we were part of creating social change, in particular with the marriage equality referendum. I’ve no ambition to go into politics. I haven’t done a lot of travelling so I think I’d like to explore other countries. I’m very interested in the arts as well and creative writing, so maybe I might do something along those lines, but I’ve no road map set out.

Do you have a guiding motto?
Live every day as if it’s your last. Life is incredibly short and there’s no point in worrying about little things. It’s important to value each day as it comes and appreciate the opportunities you have and the people that are around you.