On Feb. 27, a new open-process group for LGBTQ identifying students on campus launched. This discussion series, titled “True Colors,” aims to provide a space to talk through spirituality and other related topics. The series is an important move to demonstrate a welcoming space at Syracuse University for all spiritual or religious students.

“The goal of the ‘True Colors’ Spirituality Series is to provide an open space for students to be validated within their respective sexual and spiritual identities. Through this series, we discuss local and national topics of interests that resonate with LGBTQI students at SU while collaborating on the different ways that the campus community can be supportive in addressing the needs of LGBTQI students,” Alonzo Turner, a co-facilitator for “True Colors,” said. LGBTQI stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex.

“True Colors” increases the visibility of options for support from Hendricks Chapel, the LGBT Resource Center, the LGBT Studies Program and the Counseling Center. LGBTQ students facing challenges seeking community shouldn’t feel alone, and “True Colors” is here to support these students. That’s admirable.

“This kind of program is exactly in line with the goals and priorities of the Chapel. We want all of our students to be able to discuss faith in the context of their own identities,” Delaney Van Wey, communications specialist at Hendricks Chapel, said. “We have such a large variety of students on this campus and we know that not every program can address their needs, so this is another way that we can meet the needs of a certain group on campus.”

SU’s LGBT Resource Center offers a variety of discussion groups, trainings and social events to provide spaces specifically for creating an empowered, safe and educated community.

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But specifically for the intersection of religion with gender identity, programs like this one are crucial in fostering an inclusive environment on campus. “True Colors” recognizes these struggles that exist for students and offers a space for open discussion.

The discussion group is an important step to making the campus even more accessible and available to the LGBTQ community by bridging the gap between sexual identities and faith.

“LGBTQI people are like everybody else. They might be religious, they might not be. For those who are religious or interested in religion, spaces need to be provided, especially welcoming spaces,” Pamela Dickey Young, professor of religion at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, said.

“True Colors” does this for the SU community by helping students get answers to faith-based questions and explore more identities — while seeing how these identities intersect with each other.

“LGBTQI students facing challenges or questions in their identities shouldn’t feel alone and ‘True Colors’ works to prevent that from happening,” JoAnn Cooke, a co-facilitator for “True Colors,” said.

While the discussion series is only four weeks long, the opportunity to connect resources with students is crucial to the university becoming a comfortable space for everyone.

Bethanie Viele is a junior biology major with a focus on environmental sciences and is a religion minor. Her column appears bi-weekly. She can be reached at bmviele@syr.edu

Published on March 20, 2019 at 11:43 pm