On Wednesday, Sept. 12, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning and Ally Services (LGBTQA Services) and the Sexuality and Gender Alliance organization (SAGA) collaborated in hosting the Ram I Am: Queer @ WCU event. This event, which primarily centered around discussion-based support for queer and trans individuals at WCU, ran from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the LGBTQA Services Office, Sykes 250.
The event began with icebreaker activities, setting the tone for the rest of the event as an open, supportive and empathetic discussion where participants could feel comfortable sharing their stories. Many activities and parts of the discussion dealt with sensitive issues, such as orientation, identity and oppression on campus.
Additionally, the other purpose of this event was to provide further information on LGBTQA+ issues and resources. For instance, students involved with SAGA explained their SpeakOut program, which is a program wherein students who have specific training share their coming-out stories with classes. The purpose of this is to increase queer visibility on-campus and promote queer empowerment and outreach.
A main portion of the discussion entailed the importance of helping out queer individuals, whether you are an ally or part of the queer community. One participant discussed examples of this, explaining that she will provide support for her trans women friends by checking a bathroom out before they go in and going to the bathroom with them. She does this to show her solidarity and support, especially in the case that someone in the bathroom will say something oppressive or insulting to her friend. Another participant in the discussion explained the importance of solidarity at clubs or bars and added that if gender-neutral bathrooms are inaccessible, they will speak to a manager about amending that.
The event wrapped up with further information on resources for queer and trans students. SAGA’s Shades of the Rainbow Representative Ona Grant explained more about the nature of SAGA, saying, “The organization is half educational and informative, and half hang-out. We have meetings talking about addiction, and then we have a Queersgiving, where we eat a ton of food.” SAGA meets at 4:30 p.m. every Monday in Sykes 10A. SAGA is open to all students. Grant also discussed the other various organizations that are aligned with the LGBTQA Services, such as Shades of the Rainbow, a closed organization that offers support for trans and queer students of color, and T-Time, which is a closed organization that offers a safe space for specifically trans students. Off-campus resources include the Mazzoni Center, the Trevor Project, the Phoenixville Hospital and the Trans Lifeline.
There are many upcoming events with the LGBTQA Services. Presentations include: Queer Media from the Margins on Oct. 20 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Sykes 252A, Culturally (q)ueer: Race, Gender and Sexuality on Nov. 6 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Sykes 252, RAMping It Up: Trans and Queer Advocacy Training on Nov. 9 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Sykes 115 and Ram I Am: Queer Folk Exploring Spirituality on Nov. 28 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Sykes 250. For more information and news on LGBTQA Services, visit wcupa.edu/lgbtqa.
Ashley Martindale is a third-year student majoring in psychology and minoring in Spanish. ER821804@wcupa.edu.