What Was it Like Being Queer at SU Across The Years?

As a current student of Southwestern University, this campus can feel like a bubble away from the real world at times. It’s students' own special place for them to transition into the people they’ll be once they graduate. To many, it feels safer than the real world. However, was this always the case, especially for LGBTQ+ Southwestern students?

To answer this question, I decided to interview several Southwestern alumni to gain personal insights on their experiences of being queer students. While their stories may differ, they each offer a distinctive lens to see how times have changed over the decades.

To Eric Timm ‘93 and Hector Ruiz ‘10, coming out was something that happened mostly after their time at SU had come to a close. Before graduation, Eric came out to a few trusted people. By the time summer was in full swing, it seemed like common knowledge amongst his friends and fraternity. To this day, he is still unsure of who exactly outed him, but after returning for homecoming, he only had positive experiences.

Hector never came out during his time here, but he says people always “just knew.” He lived his life in a way that put authenticity above everything else. He recalls many others were still coming into their identities, and were given a space at SU Allies, because students didn’t have to be gay to be welcomed as a club member. Allies provided a space that welcomed everyone, and wasn’t just for students that were out as being queer.

Other students like Ame Barrier ‘97 and Jason Ragsdale ‘96 recall being the only students that were out on campus. In fact, on a whim, Ame came out at an event to take the pressure off of Jason, as he was facing a lot of homophobia. She doesn’t recall ever planning to come out, and she found the words escaping her before considering the weight of these actions.

While talking to Jason, I wanted to hear his full story of spending a year being the “token gay”, and the more we talked, the more information I got. So many people today describe Southwestern as a safe place with only minor negative things to say about their experiences with homophobia. Jason’s perspective was entirely different. Eventually, the homophobia and hate that Jason faced was too much, and he didn’t finish his degree at SU.

Jason describes Southwestern as “doing me wrong” from both the death threats he faced from other students, and administration's lack of action once he reported it. Jason looks back and shares that most of his time at SU was spent being scared for his life. This hate was more than playful banter; it was damaging to his life and wellbeing..

Back to Ame Barrier, they soon went onto creating The Sexual Orientation Awareness League (SOAL), as well as being a member of the Gender Awareness Center, and a familiar face in the feminist and queer spaces on campus. From both a researcher’s and queer student’s perspective, I came away from our interview with a lot of respect for Ame and how they shaped campus both during and after their time as a student.

Jim Zallez ‘82 has an experience similar to most LGBTQ+ SU students, regardless of the time. While Jim was a student, most of his fellow queer students could be found in the Fine Arts Building. During this time, being queer wasn’t often discussed, and students were free to live their lives without question. He also shares the importance of professors during this time, including Dr. Jan Dawson, for being supportive of both women and queer issues.

Lisa De la Cruz ‘08 also shows appreciation for professors creating safe, inclusive, and supportive environments for students to grow as themselves. She reflects having more support of her queerness from professors than from other people in administration.

Unfortunately, I was only able to contact one transgender alum to ask about their experience. Most likely this is because transgender students have always faced a different kind of hate than queer students, and consequently they have had a more difficult time sharing their authentic selves. They are people who are rarely recognized, and often don’t have the safety to disclose themself as a trans person.

While I only get to share the perspective of one student, I am still committed to learning and sharing the stories of trans people before me. Anonymous ‘20 shares that they thankfully never faced any transphobia. While they were a part of Pirates 4 Pride, they had a lot of curiosity come from peers within their major and department. Most people just wanted to learn what it was like to be transgender, and otherwise respected this person’s boundaries.

As far as my own perspective goes, I share the same sentiment as many others, which is that Southwestern feels like its own “bubble.” SU has the ability to make you forget about the world outside of it. When experiencing a place with so much support, it’s easy to forget just how far we still have to go to be free from homophobia, transphobia, and general prejudice beyond campus, especially in Texas.

All of my professors have respected my chosen name, and never once have I felt discriminated against in the classroom. However, I do have the privilege of being in the Feminist Studies program, which is filled with the most supportive people I have had the pleasure of interacting with. I know there’s a lot of hate in the world, but being a student at Southwestern gives me the hope that there are safe spaces wherever you go.

As current President of Pirates 4 Pride, SU’s current organization that supports queer students and their allies, I have had a lot of opportunities to talk to my peers about their experiences, and they confirm my sense that the climate for queer students at Southwestern is more supportiuve on campus than elsewhere. Firstly, I would like to preface that P4P is primarily made up of white students, so this is not to say that students of color have had the same experiences as the ones I have heard.

It is particularly significant that transgender and nonbinary students say that they have faced no recent incidents of homophobia or transphobia on campus. One student I spoke to this summer says that professors and students alike have all been willing to learn, and correct themselves in cases of insensitivity based on lack of education in subjects about being queer. The idea of a “bubble” still feels true to these individuals. Additionally, several queer students told me they are starting to feel safer in Georgetown as a whole as well, and have had supportive experiences during queer centered events in the city.

From talking to these alumni, I know that that has not always been the case, and it didn’t just happen by itself, so I am thankful for the work that previous generations of students, faculty, and staff have done to build a more inclusive culture for LGBTQ+ students at Southwestern.

Author’s Afterword

Throughout working on this project, I have felt a connection to people that I had no idea existed only two months earlier. Combing through editions of The Megaphone, frantically writing down names that would often appear, sending countless numbers of emails to people who had no clue about my existence, and making more phone calls than I ever thought I would, has brought me closer to my community.

Every email response lead me closer to feeling like I just might be doing something that is more than myself. Every person that shared their story with a virtual stranger, brought me one step closer to doing something I’m proud of.

Just saying I’m grateful doesn’t seem to cover it. I found something throughout this project. I found a passion, I found a direction, I found that community is far bigger than what you could ever imagine. This is your sign to do research, spend hours hunched over in the archives, email strangers, and listen to people’s stories. You’ll never know what you might find. Maybe one day someone might even ask you for your story.

Memory work is crucial for preservation of underrepresented stories. I am honored to have this opportunity, and I offer my utmost gratitude to the people who helped me on this journey. You took time out of your busy schedule to talk to a random undergrad, and it changed my outlook.

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