LGBTQ History Month: pride, visibility

Isabel Sleczkowski is a loud, proud lesbian. Or at least that’s how she describes herself.  She’s a friend; she’s a safe place. She occasionally puts too much on her plate but tries to give everything she has to each of those things. She’s always learning and growing. She’s an intersection of passions that have manifested in a unique way.  Sleczkowski, junior theatre major, is the founde...

For Jarett Lopez, student body president, his interests in politics and civic engagement have always derived from his identity as someone who’s gay.  “Once you start looking into queer theory, you see that oppression is interlocking,” Lopez said. “A populace who isn’t civically engaged is more likely to be oppressed, and you’re not going to see the changes you want to see. All the rig...

Gender is a social construct defined as the complex interrelationship between your body, your identity and your social interactions, according to genderspectrum.org.  Human beings’ relationship between their gender and their body goes far beyond reproductive functions. Research has suggested that there is a broader biological basis for an individual’s experience of gender.  Your gender ide...

“All right, we’re running on gay time, so we’re going to start at 5:35 instead of 5:30,” Isabel Sleczkowski, president of Lavender Society, said.  Sleczkowski’s voice rang out over the chatter in the Student Union’s multipurpose room, receiving laughter in response. About 20 students had gathered for the meeting, as it provides a safe space for both women and nonbinary students to c...

During LGBTQ History Month, it is important to recognize the queer forebears who have paved the way for the rights that we enjoy today. One such figure is Harvey Milk (1930-1978), who was the first openly gay elected official in California and the sixth nationwide. Milk was an imperfect activist, as most are, focusing mainly on gay men in his activism. However, he offers a snapshot of the time and a ca...

How can I have pride when being who I am is wrong Being shunned, beaten, abused and disowned Only for having pride in who I am   A little voice in my head is telling me being proud is not worth it   But the pride in me is much too strong My pride does not come from the outside   But from within   Letting the world see my glow makes me happy My...

RED flushed his face and mine when he kissed me, I flinched. My hand grew heavier when he held it. I think his eyes were black but I tried not to look. I kept as much space between us as I could.     ORANGE was the knot in my ribcage that tangled when I met a raven of a girl with long dark hair who danced like falling leaves the first time I thought about ...

I am like a rosebush.   Beautiful from afar.   Blooms you want to see and smell forever.   But you get hurt if you get too close.   I fade quickly and easily; my beauty lasts but for a moment.   Many have tried pruning me.   Cutting away the negatives, trying to take away the parts of me that they deem unsightly.   But eventually,...