Part 1 // Abby Anstead

Editor’s note: This article contains language and images that may be offensive.

She didn’t see it until she opened her car door. The light came on, and Kelley Ries saw black letters scrawled in permanent marker on her driver side window.

“Faggot.”





“When I saw it, I immediately went back into my apartment and got some nail polish remover to get it off,” Ries said. “I was honestly scared and embarrassed because I didn’t want to go into work with this word written on my car.

“It was sort of a shame thing.”

The 22-year-old NKU alum said her car was vandalized hours after Trump was announced president-elect.

“Having something like this happen to me is both ridiculous and terrifying because I thought I was in a safe place, but now I’m kind of going back to the mindset of when I was young and I was afraid of everything,” Ries said.

Ries was heavily involved with LGBTQ Programs and Services in her time at NKU, and she said her brush with discrimination has made her concerned for others within the LGBTQ community.

“I’m pretty open with myself, and I’m pretty comfortable with myself, so naysayers usually don’t get to me,” Ries said. “But, especially with people who are just coming out, or just really starting to get to know themselves and accept who they are, this is such a backwards thing that it’s scary.

“People like me are worried about our rights being revoked, we’re worried about the whole conversion camp thing, and just discrimination like I faced.

“I feel that what I faced was pretty lacking compared to what trans women of color have faced. Some people have been beaten to death for who they are, and that kind of the fear has just escalated because it’s so much more real.”

Ries said it is not necessarily only Trump that she is worried about.

“We have to worry about violence. We have to worry about our safety as minorities, whether that be LGBTQ people, people of color, women, and we have to watch out for ourselves every single day because of the people who see Trump as an idol,” Ries said.

Ries said the incident has made her more hesitant to express her true identity.

“I’m a pretty strong-willed person, so I’m not going to let this set me back like that,” Ries said. “But it does install fear in me. It does make me feel a little bit more… closed off to people that I don’t know, closed off towards the public eye. I don’t feel safe being as open as I usually am.”

She said she doesn’t have a choice but to give the president-elect a chance, and she said she hopes Trump continues to negate some of his more extreme positions that he held during his campaign.

“Hopefully, maybe it won’t be as bad as I think it will be,” Ries said.

She stressed the importance of reaching out for help and utilizing resources on campus.

“Do not go through it alone. Talk to somebody. Do not bottle it up, that is the worst thing that you can you can do, because it can be really harmful to keep in,” Ries said. “This is a very emotional time for, not just us (LGBTQ community), but other minorities, and this just shows that we have not come together.”

Although she has graduated, Ries said she plans to work with NKU’s LGBTQ Programs and Services to create a safe space for students to talk about life post-graduation.

“You can still be yourself outside of college, and if you feel like you can’t, or you haven’t, you are not alone,” Ries said.

University spokesperson Amanda Nageleisen said there have not been any instances of vandalism on campus since the election.

“The lack of incidents reported on our campus shows that students feel comfortable coming to faculty and staff members,” Nageleisen said. “Our faculty and staff are committed to providing safe spaces where students can talk about any issue at any time.”

Students have access to free and confidential counseling services on campus through Health, Counseling and Student Wellness. The office, located in the University Center, is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Students can walk in or call 859-572-5650 to schedule an appointment.

There are also resources available after hours, including a hotline which will connect students to the counselor on call. The after-hours psychological emergency hotline is 859-572-7777. Students should request to speak to the counselor on call.

NKU’s LGBTQ Programs and Services also has a number of resources available to members of the campus community, trans students and allies. Click here for a complete list of resources.

Click on any of the pictures below to continue reading.