College Dems host sit-in against homophobia
When Senior Maddy Berg heard of egging incidents on campus, she thought nothing of it. That was until an egg splatter showed up on the window of her dorm room, located over her trans flag.
“It wasn’t apparent right away, but I knew I was targeted because I knew someone whose pride flag was egged in their window,” Berg said.
This event was one of the catalysts that launched a sit-in hosted by the College of Democrats at Minnesota State Thursday. Students gathered in the CSU for a half hour to rally against the rise of homophobia on campus by sitting on the floor by Mav Ave, waving flags in solidarity.
While the reason behind the rise in homophobia is unknown, Berg mentioned that the amount of targeting hasn’t been as bad as in past years.
“It’s jarring and discouraging to see, but we have such a strong community of people here who are supportive and want to raise awareness,” Berg said.
Senior Storm Novak explained that the sit-in was hosted as a way to improve the campus climate and to work towards making Minnesota State a more accepting place.
“When you normally see a sit-in, you think ‘Oh, they’re protesting a unit of power,’ but the intention of this is to create a demonstration of solidarity rather than to target any groups and say ‘Hey, we think you should do this job differently,’” Novak said.
Novak mentioned that one of the ways MSU could further address homophobia issues on campus is by expanding safe spaces for students along with having faculty and staff indicate they’re allies and resources to students.
“There’s a feeling that the LGBT center is the only place where people feel comfortable and safe feeling out as queer. It feels like centers around campus are isolated pockets of acceptance,” Novak said. “When you’re in the wider campus atmosphere, it feels that there’s less of the safety net and not the same amount of solidarity and support.”
Freshman Harvey Buchanan came to the event to show solidarity with the LGBT community. He said that small events like sit-ins help advocate for a bigger cause by drawing eyes to the issue.
“We had somebody walking by come in and sit down with us and I feel that’s a big thing that we’re getting people’s attention,” Buchanan said. “It’s a way for us to raise consciousness.”
One of the attendees was Henry Morris, the vice president of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, who sat with the students to show support. He stressed that students should know they are not standing alone.
“I think it’s important that people who believe in the message of the institution are willing to publicly stand up, especially during times when a lot of people don’t believe in those issues,” Morris said.
Berg said she wants MSU to connect on-campus students with those who live elsewhere in hopes of raising awareness about incidents that occur on campus.
“You’re not going to scare us. We’re here, we’re queer and we’re allowed to feel safe and supported at this school,” Berg said. “No matter what people do, we’re not going to back down.”
The College of Democrats will be partnering with the LGBT Center to host a march 12-2 p.m. Thursday.
Header photo: Students sat in solidarity, waving pride flags in Mav Ave to raise awareness about the rise of homophobic issues on campus last Thursday. (Lilly Anderson/The Reporter)
Write to Emma Johnson at emma.johnson.5@mnsu.edu