Spaces like Quelcome are essential now more than ever

Associate Director of the LGBTQ+ Equity Center, Shantala Thompson (she/they), gives the opening speech for Quelcome (Mario Morais/The Black Explosion)

Queer students came for the decade old LGBTQ+ welcome event, known as Quelcome on Wednesday, which was hosted by the LGBTQ+ Equity Center. 

Quelcome brings LGBTQ+ student groups and university organizations together so students can learn about the resources available to them. It also allows for students of all years to engage with their community, make new friends and step into a space, that for some, might be the first queer-friendly space they have ever entered.

“The goal is really community building to let LGBTQ+ students from all backgrounds: racial, sexual orientation, gender and abilities - to know that they have a community here,” said  associate director of the LGBTQ+ Equity Center Shantala Thompson. “I always say, the only goal of Quelcome is to meet a new friend.” 

For many students, like freshman journalism major Laura Charleston, Quelcome is a space to explore her queer identity in that safe, community-driven environment.

“I’m trying to get close to this side of me, closer to my sexuality, and learning more about resources mainly,” Charleston said.

However, as necessary as this space is, it lacked the focus on queer people of color desired by queer Black students.

Junior sociology major Joy Anyanwu said that they wished there were more events for individuals who aren’t white.

Spaces like Quelcome are critical for students to have a safe space to express themselves in this unsettling anti-LGBTQ+ climate. Anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is a concern at the forefront of queer-peoples minds this upcoming midterm. Anti-trans legislation, in particular, has had a substantial impact on many queer students in conservative states. Even in Maryland, trans-health legislation failed to pass the Maryland General Assembly in April of 2022. Vice president of Diversity and Inclusion at the university Georgina Dodge took a moment to acknowledge the unease of students attending the event.

“It’s actually hard for me to get my mind around. That people can be so intentionally hateful and thoughtless. Along with rage, of course, comes fear, as I began thinking to myself ‘where is it safe?’” Dodge said.

She spoke of how students may also wonder where they might feel safe, and highlighted why that makes events like Quelcome so important. Dodge also acknowledged the reality that queer students will most likely face as they move throughout their time here at UMD.

“I am not delusional, and I am not confused. I know that there are haters on this campus, just as there are everywhere else in this world,” Dodge said. “It’s important to hang on to the joy that life can provide even us during these troubled times. I want to encourage all of you to do exactly that.”

In this tense climate for LGBTQ+ individuals, it’s comforting to have these spaces for queer people to build community. Quelcome reminds students that they are not alone and that, even in struggle, one can still find friends.