Coming Out Of The Closet On A Conservative Campus
Written by Gem Prigmore, Photography by Mackenzie Miller, Design by Courtney Ward
Spending 20 years in the closet is only acceptable if you’re Paris Hilton and have a walk-in closet the size of your bedroom (just kidding). However, it’s a common story for students everywhere, especially those attending a more conservative campus.
We sat down with four different Aggies, all members of the LGBT+ community, to unpack their experiences coming out of the closet at Texas A&M University.
When Emily Hesidence, a queer woman of color, was asked about her experience being part of the LGBTQ+ community here, she said, “Not many people see me as queer or even as a woman of color. I pass in almost every way.” Passing is the ability of a person to be regarded as a member of an identity group different from their own. Specifically, Emily expressed that she is often assumed to be straight and cisgender. While Emily is certainly a member of the LGBT+ community, her ability to pass has altered the way she is treated.
When asked about homophobia on campus, she said, “There are many things that haven’t happened to me personally but have happened to close friends and members of my community. I’ve had people be disgusted by my friends holding hands, not realizing that I am queer myself.”
Most people think they don't know anyone gay or lesbian, when in fact everybody does. It is imperative that we come out and let people know who we are and disabuse them of their fears and stereotypes.
– Robert Eichberg
Sidney Botello, a bisexual woman of color, said she’s been cautious of revealing her identity on campus. “When you’re in class and there may be homophobic people around you, you’re like, should I not have a rainbow sticker on my laptop? The fact that you would see signs that go directly against your identity, that’s not something you want to see on your college campus.”
Kevin Christman, a bisexual man of color, also had a more direct experience with backlash. “I’m scared to be queer. I’ve always been in fear, always been hiding. There’s always the small communities where queer people feel safe, but there’s also the hate groups.” But those small communities of LGBT+ people on campus might be the saving grace of anyone who fears not being accepted in college.
“With each passing year, we are only going to develop a stronger community at this school,” said Emily.
“I do find that the gay community here, for the most part, watches out for each other.”
Yerb Rodriguez, a bisexual nonbinary person of color, also spoke about the community they discovered on campus. “I found a community really quickly on the internet before I ever got here. Twitter has been really helpful in finding community here. I was concerned that finding other queer aggies was going to be an issue. But most of my friends are gay, and the ones that aren’t are accepting, so I feel safe with them. That was the most important thing; that I felt safe and that I had friends who could relate.”
When all of the interviewees began their journey at A&M, the main on campus resource for LGBT+ students was the GLBT Resource Center. Although the name was a little outdated, Sidney shared, “I used to go to the GLBT resource center to hang out with friends.” Yerb also mentioned the center, expressing, “My friends and I went to a GLBT+ Resource Center event, and I met my partner and some other students. That event helped bring us all together. The center was just a place where we could hang out.” At the time, the center was also on West Campus, far from the hub of student activity. There wasn’t much motivation to trek out to the center just to see friends.
As of January 2020, the GLBT Resource Center is now the LGBT+ Pride Center and is located in the Student Services Building on Main Campus. There are multiple LGBTQ+ organizations on campus, including Transcend, a trans and nonbinary affirming group; Freshman Leading in Acceptance, Kindness, and Equality, or FLAKE, a group for LGBTQ+ freshman; and oSTEM, a group for LGBTQ+ Aggies working in STEM fields. Though social media is a connecter for this generation of queer people, organizations are popping up every year to aid in forming those bonds.
We are here, we are queer, and we are Aggies, just like you.