Queerness in College — Finding Community and My Experience
College is, of course, a place for you to learn and grow academically — but that’s not all it is. As you start to gain independence and knowledge, it’s also a great place to learn and grow within yourself. A lot of students find themselves realizing more about themselves and their identities, and may also be in a safer position to do so (being away from family that may not be accepting, being on a campus/in a town that’s LGBTQ+ friendly, etc.).
With these new experiences, it can be exciting and also daunting to find community. Being queer in college can be overwhelming — staying social and in a community is already something to put effort towards, and it can feel scary to try to find spaces that are friendly, accepting, and involve people who are LGBTQ+. I hope that, in sharing ideas as well as my own experiences as a queer person who went through undergrad, you can have a little bit of luck in finding your own community, and continue growing into yourself.
Taking Queer-Centric Classes
If your college has a Queer Studies program, a Women and Gender Studies program, or anything similar, these classes are a great way to meet others who are LGBTQ+ or allies of the community. Not only will you meet people, but you will also have the chance to learn more about LGBTQ+ history, inclusivity, and more. It can be very fulfilling to learn our history and experiences in the past, and it can help you be more connected to your own identity as well as others’.
In my time at Northern Arizona University, I took “Intro to Queer Studies”, “Trans Existence and Resilience”, and “Writing as Resistance”, all within our Women and Gender Studies/Queer Studies programs. I met some wonderful people, some of which I still actively talk to, and we have all grown and changed together. I also learned more about LGBTQ+ history than I knew before, learned more about my own identity, and continued to shape my ideology and beliefs as I went through college.
Finding LGBTQ+ Groups
Some college campuses have clubs for queer students to meet, host events, and even talk with higher-ups in the university about work that can be done to promote inclusion and diversity. They won’t all have the same name, but these groups are often called GSA clubs (gender and sexuality acceptance, or gay-straight alliance, depending on how the club chooses to define the acronym).
If you are a student who may be seeking out therapy, there may be LGBTQ+ support groups or group therapy sessions, hosted by a therapist who is queer or an ally, for other students who are queer. It can be a helpful way to get help for yourself, especially if you are navigating your identity.
I was a member of NAU’s PRISM, our LGBTQ+ club. I got to hang out with new people every week, do crafts and movie nights and costume parties, and also got to help provide resources to students who may be learning about themselves while in college. I can’t recommend it enough.
Utilizing Campus Resources
Many college campuses have offices that may be focused on diversity, inclusion, and similar concepts. These offices can help guide you through changing your preferred name in school systems if possible, providing you class and club recommendations, and can also be a resource if you face any issues from faculty, students, or housing. They can be a good one-stop shop for any sort of support you may need.
More and more college campuses are also offering gender-neutral, all-gender, or gender-inclusive housing, along with restrooms. Whether it is being able to room with someone else who is trans/nonbinary, being in a wing with other gender-diverse students, or living in a dorm that has gender-neutral restroom options, these are all resources your college might offer.
NAU has all-gender and gender-inclusive housing as an option, with separate dorms as well to help create a sense of community within specific dorm buildings. There is also a range of gender-neutral restrooms across campus, and you can find maps that show you where all of them are! I lived in a building with a gender-inclusive housing wing, and as one of the only openly queer and trans Resident Assistants there, I helped out with the residents who lived in that area.
No Campus Options? There’s Still Hope!
Some towns and college campuses may have limited options for queer students, or can be hostile towards their LGBTQ+ community. Though it can be more difficult to navigate college in places like this, you can branch out off campus and have some more luck. Finding events in your town or within a reasonable distance — drag shows, pride events, or even events like art nights and local concerts — can be a great resource. Oftentimes, the queer community is very intertwined with the art and music scene. It’s a great gateway to meeting other queer friends, and also getting out and about in general!
There are also ways to meet people online if on campus isn’t an option. Though it can be hard to not have a queer community in person, you’re not alone in that. You can find Discord servers for potentially your college or just for queer college students in general, and you can find pages on Instagram or forums on Reddit in the same way. It may not be ideal, but it’s good to find any sense of community.
College can be hard. Being queer can be hard. Being alone can be hard. So we can do our best to make it easier by finding a community where we can exist with love and safety.
Written by Grayson Buckley, Press & Written Media team
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