“The LGBTQIA+ Lounge came about at the end of last semester,” says Dr. Rachel Deleveaux, Assistant Vice President for Diversity, Strategy and Engagement. “Previously, the Multicultural Center housed all historically marginalized groups, but everyone has unique needs.”
Given that a large portion of the Simmons undergraduate population identifies as LGBTQIA+, Deleveaux decided that it made sense to find a space specific to that community. They now have that space: an office in the Jennifer Eckert Center for Leadership & Engagement.
More importantly, it’s a safe space for students to gather with others in their community and learn about workshops taking place on campus. “We really think about what the community needs,” says Deleveaux. “We’re collaborating with the Eckert Center to provide resources, informational workshops, snacks, and just holding space for our students.”
Anne-Marie Ricker, the graduate intern for DEI and LGBTQIA+ student support, is excited about the events they offered in 2024. In spring, they hosted an awareness event on aromantics (people who experience little to no romantic attraction to others) and a name change clinic.
“The Massachusetts Trans Political Coalition does great work around Massachusetts,” said Ricker. “They bring all the paperwork and walk you through the process of how to legally change your name in Massachusetts, and even follow up with you afterwards. We’re partnering with them again in November to host another clinic.” In addition, the name change clinic is open to all students in the Colleges of the Fenway, offering a chance for students to meet members of the larger queer community.
In early October, they hosted a TransTape workshop with another New England-based organization. “They did a workshop on how to safely bind your chest with their product,” says Ricker. “It’s a zero compression option to chest binding that you can wear for several days as opposed to [other methods] that can become dangerous after eight hours of wear.”
Aside from offering workshops on campus, Ricker hopes the room will be used by students in need to calm and community. “Students are in there, chatting and hanging out. That’s what I’m hoping the space will be: a place for queer students to exist in community with each other.” They are looking to bring in additional resources for students, including free TransTape. “A lot of queer students have to make their own way, especially financially,” notes Ricker. “Any way that we can support them by providing resources for free is something I feel strongly about. Support for our queer community is more than just having a space.”
To keep up with future events, follow the Simmons Multicultural Center on Instagram.
Recommended Reading
Here are some recommended titles featuring LGBTQIA+ characters, courtesy of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:
- The Skin and Its Girl by Sarah Cypher (Ballantine Books, 2024)
A young, queer Palestinian American woman pieces together her great-aunt’s secrets in this “enchanting, memorable” (Bustle) debut, confronting questions of sexual identity, exile, and lineage. - Making Room by Carl Siciliano (Convergent Books, 2024)
From a pioneering advocate for LGBTQ youth, a gripping, impassioned account of how an unhoused queer youth’s murder compelled him to create the Ali Forney Center (AFC), the nation’s largest housing program for homeless LGBTQ teens. - The Unbroken by C. L. Clark (Orbit, 2021)
On the far outreaches of a crumbling desert empire, two women–a princess and a soldier–will haggle over the price of a nation in this richly imagined, breath-taking sapphic epic fantasy filled with rebellion, espionage, and assassinations. - The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri (Orbit UK, 2021)
The Jasmine Throne begins an epic fantasy trilogy set in a world inspired by the history and romances of India, in which a captive princess and a maidservant in possession of forbidden magic become unlikely allies. - Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg (Firebrand Books, 1993)
Feinberg’s first novel is widely considered in and outside the U.S. to be a groundbreaking work about the complexities of gender. Feinberg is offering free pdf downloads from her website. - Notes of a Crocodile by Qiu Miaojin (1994)
Set in the post-martial-law era of late-1980s Taipei, Notes of a Crocodile is a coming-of-age story of queer misfits discovering love, friendship, and artistic affinity while hardly studying at Taiwan’s most prestigious university. Told through the eyes of an anonymous lesbian narrator nicknamed Lazi, this cult classic is a postmodern pastiche of diaries, vignettes, mash notes, aphorisms, exegesis, and satire by an incisive prose stylist and major countercultural figure. - Good Dress by Brittany Rogers (Tin House Books, 2024)
In her debut poetry collection, Brittany Rogers explores the audacity of Black Detroit, Black womanhood, class, luxury and materialism, and matrilineage. A nontraditional coming-of-age, Good Dress witnesses a speaker coming into her own autonomy and selfhood as a young adult, reflecting on formative experiences. - Boys Run The Riot by Keito Gaku (Kodansha Comics, 1999)
A transgender teen named Ryo finds an escape from the expectations and anxieties of his daily life in the world of street fashion. This personal, heartfelt, fictional story from a transgender manga creator made waves in Japan and will inspire readers all over the world. - Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde (Crossing Press, 2007)
Presenting the essential writings of black lesbian poet and feminist writer Audre Lorde, Sister Outsider celebrates an influential voice in twentieth-century literature.