Written by Maddy Dixon
Laughter was heard from the University Center presentation room on Nov. 20. Friends and acquaintances gathered to celebrate Queersgiving, hosted by Webster’s LGBTQ+ Alliance.
LGBTQ+ Alliance members passed down the tradition of Queersgiving to younger members for years.
Queersgiving
Jo Cory is a junior sociology major at Webster. Cory is also the President of the LGBTQ+ Alliance.
“I remember my freshman year coming in a being like ‘Oh! What’s Queersgiving?’ We keep the tradition alive the best we can,” Cory said.
Cory said Queersgiving supplies a safe environment for people who either cannot go home for Thanksgiving, prefer not to celebrate the holiday, or it is for them to just to come together.
Like many other students, Cory is unable to go home for the holidays due to the distance between home and school.
“This is my only Thanksgiving because my family is very far away,” Cory said. “This is the closest I’m going to get to a Thanksgiving meal.”
Patti Hayes is the secretary of the LGBTQ+ Alliance and is also a sociology and criminology major at Webster. Hayes said celebrating Thanksgiving could be really hard for people in the LGBTQ+ community.
“[Queersgiving is] just reinventing this typical time that can be kind of rough for a lot of people in this community to be a time of solidarity and loving each other,” Hayes said.
Event attendance
Queersgiving attendance was low this year. Hayes said the club’s board expected the low numbers based on the recent drop in club attendance.
“I’d like to see a lot more, but I understand it’s getting to that time of semester where everything is getting crazy,” Cory said.
Attendance has not just been low in attending members, there are also board members that have been unable to attend meetings and events during the fall semester, Hayes said.
“Last year was pretty busy,” Hayes said. “The tables were full and there were people sitting on the floor, it was really cool last year. This semester has just been stressful for everyone.”
Jo Muñoz is a senior illustration major at Webster and has been attending meetings on and off since last year.
“Sometimes I get real busy,” Muñoz said. “I’m a commuter so sometimes if I get out of class at like 5 I’m like I don’t want to stay until 9:30.”
While attendance has been low, the members that attend are dedicated to the betterment of the LGBTQ+ community. Hayes, Muñoz, and Cory have also experienced a correlation between their major and their love for the club.
“ [LGBTQ+] are my people,” Muñoz said. “I just feel like their experiences are important and should be visible in a beautiful way. Not just the suffering and the sad parts.”
Alliance board members Hayes and Cory believe that the LGBTQ+ Alliance serves as a way to connect the LGBTQ+ community in a safe environment. It provides a platform for those who may not feel accepted elsewhere, a place for them to make a family.
“Alliance means a lot to me because it’s where I met a lot of the friends that I have now. That’s what gay club does for you,” Cory said.
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