By: Kate Luce
Co-Editor-in-Chief
kmluce@iu.edu
The Queer Straight Alliance is diving right into the semester after over a one-year hiatus. The club has held three start-up meetings over the past few weeks to spark student interest.
The club held its first two brainstorming meetings on March 2 and March 7.
“The Queer Straight Alliance (QSA) is a club devoted to supporting LGBTQIA+ individuals as well as allies and spreading information on our community. We are a welcoming, space for all regardless of race, gender identity, religion, sexuality or political views,” Reagan Ayala, QSA president, said.
As previous members graduated, on top of the COVID-19 restrictions, the club became dormant. Many IU South Bend student organizations had a similar fate. However, April Lidinsky, club advisor, is confident that the QSA’s new members will breathe life back into the club.
“I am delighted by the fizzy, smart energy of the brainstorming sessions, and I look forward to cheering on the students who have exciting plans for this club. This is a terrific time to invest in student life, and I hope students will consider the QSA as an inclusive club that speaks to interests in advocacy, community-building, and positivity,” Lidinsky said.
The past few meetings focused on brainstorming sessions for the upcoming semester. Events, volunteering with local high schools and hosting a potential podcast are all ideas that were passed around.
“At our last meeting, some ideas that were brought up were self-care nights, a beauty pageant of even makeup nights, to help those who want to learn makeup. We also thought of some fun activities like video game nights or even starting a podcast,” Ayala said.
In the past, QSA hosted a pride prom and a lecture series with local LGBTQIA+ leaders and community members.
With COVID-19 permitting, Ayala and other members are interested in bringing back events like the pride prom.
In addition, the club wants to bring back a large project they were involved in before COVID-19 hit campus. The LGBTQIA+ film festival was scrapped, but QSA wanted to bring it back within the next few years.
Anyone can join QSA, as long as they are both respectful of members inside and outside the LGBTQIA+ community.
To join, the club is now active again on Titan Atlas, with upcoming meetings being added to the events section. Students can follow the club on their new Instagram, @IUSB_QSA.
