I am very proud of my time at Drew first as a student and now as a staff member, yet I think there are always ways in which we can collectively make the Drew community more accessible toward celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community.
As a queer person, I have been glad to see the increase of gender-neutral bathrooms across campus in my years in The Forest after lengthy discussion groups and activism projects with many colleagues across the three schools. I was recently very encouraged by seeing signs that promote gender diversity near bathrooms in buildings I visit infrequently. However, there is room to improve which I find both challenging and exciting!
As an institution that often prides itself on the progressive, liberationist, and justice-seeking movements of students, faculty, and staff —particularly in the Theological School—we have much more that we can do to become a liberative space for queer folx, especially those who are trans and non-binary. So many parts of the United States are becoming increasingly unsafe for people who are queer, trans, non-binary, women, and other gender-oppressed people. Drew has the opportunity to become an even greater safe-haven for the current and incoming communities of the university, and I believe it is our purpose to move forward with a better space of celebration and well-being for those who are queer. We can do this by increasing our support of queer-led student groups and events, continuing education on pronouns and usage when one’s pronouns change, and greater inclusion toward those who are marginalized for their gender identity or expression.
May we use this Pride Month to enact better spaces, better policies, and better welcomings in the other eleven months of the year.
