Every Tuesday night, LGBTQ students and allies gather to discuss social issues, current events and celebrity news while enjoying tea and snacks. The meetings, hosted by the Q Center, are known as Q-Tea Time and are among the resources the Q Center offers.
The desire for a forum in which students could be in charge of informal dialogue led to the discussion group’s development.
Amy Williamson, an intern at the Q Center and a sophomore double-majoring in philosophy, politics and law and history, took the initiative to create and host Q-Tea Time. She said while the discussion group is casual, it’s a good way to facilitate a conversation within the community.
“It’s really supposed to foster and further the existence of the community on campus,” Williamson said. “It’s really nice to have something low-key that’s also just so important because it brings so many people together.”
The Q Center is a part of the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, which aims to make students and faculty members of all identities feel welcome and wanted. According to Kelly Clark, director of the Q Center, students consistently lead the discussion.
“It’s not a support group, it’s a general discussion group,” Clark said. “There really isn’t a plan. There’s tea and there’s hot chocolate.”
Casey Phelan, an undeclared freshman, said she attends Q-Tea Time because it provides a comfortable atmosphere.
“It really is a safe space for people to just be themselves and not have to worry about anything,” Phelan said.
Halonite Gray, an undeclared freshman, said Q-Tea Time helps foster a positive campus community.
“It’s kind of like you have a second family here,” Gray said. “ Being able to come here and experience that is really overwhelmingly positive and makes me so much happier as a person.”
Another resource the center offers is Transcend, a discussion group run by transgender and gender-expansive students. The goal of Transcend is to create a space for gender-nonconforming students to talk about topics ranging from gender-neutral bathrooms to the transitioning process.
Coming up on the events calendar for the Q Center is Transgender Awareness Week from Nov. 14 to 20. The campaign will educate the community on the importance of pronouns and using people’s correct pronouns. As part of Transgender Awareness Week, the center will host a gender-affirming clothing swap.
Q-Tea Time is held every Tuesday at 8 p.m. in the Q Center in Library North Room G549. Transcend is held every other week on Tuesdays from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., also at the Center.