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FRIDAY JULY 2, 2021
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THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY
YEAR LI. VOLUME C. ISSUE I
Transgender students share frustrations with BU Housing, dorm bathrooms Anna Vidergar Daily Free Press Staff Transgender and nonbinary students say Boston University’s housing options and selection process present several challenges, including single-sex bathrooms and the lack of administrative help in finding other trans students as roommates. BU offers gender-neutral housing in all residences “with the exception of Claflin, Rich and Sleeper Halls; the Warren Towers complex; and The Towers,” as listed on their website. University spokesperson Colin Riley wrote in an email the majority of incoming freshmen are placed in these large gendered dorms as well as small brownstones, specialty housing and in some cases living-learning communities. The Housing website states “freshmen are not eligible to live in gender-neutral housing, regardless of residence location.” Two to three percent of sophomores, juniors and seniors elect to live in gender neutral housing each year, Riley wrote. Riley added that incoming trans and nonbinary freshmen can contact BU Housing to request specific accommodations. “We work with the individual student to identify the building and room type where they will be most successful,” Riley wrote.
However, transgender and nonbinary students in recent years have reported oversights in housing assignments. Marshall Brown, a transgender male and rising sophomore in the College of Communication, lived in Warren Towers his freshman year and is moving off campus this fall. He said he reached out to Housing before the start of the Fall semester last summer. “I said me being trans was a concern and I want to be paired with another trans person or I want to be put in gender-inclusive housing,” Brown said. “They said that they’re very busy with COVID housing, and then never got back to me.” Brown said while he lived on a coed floor, it was on the female side. “I was able to use my preferred
bathroom, but it was uncomfortable because they put me on the wrong side of the hall.” he said. “That’s my experience in gendered housing.” Dante Gonzalez, a trans man and rising sophomore in the College of Fine Arts, lived in Kilachand Hall his freshman year and will remain there for the upcoming year. He also tried to contact Housing about the possibility of gender-neutral housing last summer, he said. “I tried reaching out to someone to try and figure out what gender-neutral housing looked like for trans students, but it didn’t really feel like a feasible option,” Gonzalez said. “I didn’t have any particular person in the community that I wanted to connect with and live with.” Riley said in an interview it can be difficult to provide transgender
THALIA LAUZON/ DFP FILE
The Warren Towers complex entrance. The student residence is one of a few that Boston University transgender and nonbinary students have voiced as lacking in accommodation to trans students in the housing selection process.
students with single rooms given the limited availability of the rooms, so Housing works with them individually to find the best possible placement. A single room without a private bathroom costs $14,290, and with a private bathroom, $15,330 for the 2021-2022 academic year. A double, triple or quad ranges in price from $10,990 to $13,670. Saman B-Razavi is a rising sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences and transgender male who lived in Warren Towers his freshman year. He pointed to the use of communal bathrooms within the residence as an everyday struggle — a common complaint among trans students interviewed. “You’re going to have to worry about, for me, making people comfortable in one bathroom, or feeling comfortable yourself in another bathroom, which is really annoying,” B-Razavi said. Warren Towers includes only single-sex communal bathrooms on its residential floors. B-Razavi said he chose the Core House as his residence this fall in part for its gender-neutral bathrooms. The University has “no immediate plans to create more gender-neutral bathrooms in existing buildings,” Riley wrote in his email. Gonzalez noted the inconvenience posed by the lack of gender neutral restrooms in his Kilachand Hall residence. “I don’t think my dorm has a single
gender-neutral bathroom,” Gonzalez said. “If I need to take a break before heading out for the day, I would need to be able to get back into my dorm and use my personal bathroom in order to feel comfortable, and sometimes that’s just not a possibility.” Another challenge for trans students, noted B-Razavi, is finding a trans roommate. “It’s just annoying that there’s no way to find roommates that are also trans,” B-Razavi said. “At the Core House I had a roommate at first and [she] was a girl … and she wasn’t comfortable rooming with me.” Brown suggested possibly adding an option to the housing profile for trans students to find each other. The solution, said Dani Williams, a nonbinary rising sophomore in CAS, comes down to listening to trans and nonbinary students. “Maybe hosting a meeting where we could get together with the Queer [Activist] Collective or with nonbinary students,” Williams said. “Just making a priority to, within the housing form, putting ‘are you nonbinary, what kind of housing do you feel comfortable with, how can we assist you during this time’ and just making it easier for students.” Riley noted changes or improvements in support of transgender and nonbinary students are “not a housing issue, that’s a University issue,” and BU will remain committed to “[supporting] all of our students.” BU Housing declined to comment.
BU Out List gives LGBTQ+ faculty and staff visibility, connection Molly Farrar Features Editor Boston University’s Queer Activist Collective, or Q and the BU LGBTQIA+ Faculty & Staff Community Network worked together to release The BU Out List — a resource for students to find faculty and staff who identify as LGTBQ+ at Boston University, as well a source of connection for students and staff Christian Paredes, a rising senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, is on the executive board of Q who worked as a student co-chair with the LGBTQIA+ FSCN to create the Out List. The BU Out List invites LGBTQ+ faculty and staff members across campus to create a profile only accessible to the BU community. Students cannot make profiles for themselves, but can search through staff profiles. Each faculty and staff profile can include someone’s sexual orientation, gender identity, race, romantic orientation, religion, hometown and whether they were a first-generation college student. Including the additional information in profiles helps LGBTQ+ students “find those intersections” in their community, Paredes said. Paredes said meeting his queer mentors at BU, including professors
now visible on the Out List, was “serendipitous.” “I came across one professor who is queer my sophomore year and ended up forming a really great relationship because she can see me in a different way as a person,” he said, “and it really changed the trajectory of my career.” He said the Out List, which is accessible to the entire BU community, can help facilitate those types of connections for other students. “It’s more easy for people to see which departments or which subjects might have a professor that they’ll feel more comfortable in a classroom,” Paredes said. “That could be really meaningful for having a great experience at BU and just feeling like they’re in a more inclusive environment.” Thomas Lee, the academic program administrator for the School of Public Health and the vice chair of the LGBTQIA+ FSCN, said the Out List was inspired by the Boston University Medical Campus OUT & Ally List, which includes the option to be identified as an ally as well. Lee and Paredes, who worked together to compile the Out List, said their choice to not include allies was to maintain a platform for specifically queer voices. Lee said the Out List helps fill the gap between faculty and staff and students in the LGBTQ+ community.
During his graduate studies at BU, McKenzie said. “I feel a responsibil- ty” has a lasting impact on students. he said he had limited ways of con- ity as an academic, as an instructor, Lee said the Out List also “has givnecting with queer faculty members. not to necessarily to proclaim it from en [Q] a virtual space” by using the Now, as the vice chair of the task- the high rooftops, but to say, ‘this is Out List as a their unofficial homeforce, he said he’s working to create a who I am, this is part of what makes page, promoting resources for queer more visible queer community at BU. up me.’” students and strengthening Q and the “Our main goals are to promote a McKenzie said the Out List can LGBTQIA+ FSCN’s relationship. deeper sense of community and cel- help provide a “beacon of normality” “It’s really been a way to unify and ebrate identity among LGBTQIA+ for LGBTQ+ students to see queer almost build a coalition,” Lee said. faculty and staff at BU,” he said. faculty and staff in different careers “There were so many independent “There was a huge vacuum at BU, and fields. He said especially in fields groups before, and now there is a cenlike this didn’t exist. One of the main such as STEM or business, a facul- tralized platform which is way more findings of the taskforce a few years ty member who “steps forward and effective when you have the voices ago was there aren’t systems in place speaks their truth about their identi- unified.” for queer faculty and staff and to some extent students to really build community.” Christopher McKenzie, an instructor in film and television at the College of Communication, said he has “the privilege to be able to say that I’m bisexual.” He said he chose to be visible on the Out List because he wants to be a resource for LGBTQ+ and questioning students. “Even though we live in a part of the country and part of a world that is relatively tolerant and progressive, it is still an ILLUSTRATION BY CONOR KELLEY important thing to step The Boston University Out List website. The BU LGBTQIA+ Faculty & Staff Community Network forward and speak out and BU’s Queer Activist Collective collaborated to create the list: a University-wide platform for and assert who we are,” students to connect with LGBTQ+ identifying faculty and staff.
2 NEWS
LGBTQ+ organizations, bars reflect on importance of queer bars as they reopen Divya Sood Business Associate After a long period of inactivity due to the pandemic and state-wide restrictions since March 2020, queer bars and nightlife spaces are starting to fully reopen, attracting individuals of all ages and identities. Throughout the pandemic, local bars such as Back Bay’s Club Café and Dorcester’s Blend continued to engage their patrons by hosting virtual drag queen performances. But they were unable to recreate the bars’ unique social atmosphere. “[Bars are] also a place where you meet other people in the community … you’re creating and living out your identity as a queer person in public in bars,” said Joan Ilacqua, executive director of The History Project, an organization that aims to document, preserve and share New England’s LGBTQ+ history. The History Project has collaborated with bar workers and goers to document artifacts, photos and stories from over the years. Their collections include flyers, menus, swizzle sticks and even the original stained glass windows from The Napoleon Club: a gay piano bar near Park Square in the latter half of the twentieth century. Since Boston has “so few distinctively queer spaces,” gay bars and clubs still function as places for the community to meet, hook up, dance and have fun, Ilacqua said. Courtney Furno is the gener-
al manager at The Alley Bar, a gay nightclub in downtown Boston. While the club has been open since September, the bar opened in full on May 29 with celebration and relief. “We’re accepting of all people that come through the door,” Furno said. “There are times where during the pandemic, we were the only bar in the entire area that was open, so we were getting people from out of town, of all walks of life.” He said that in recent years, the need for gay bars as an “oasis” for queer people has waned, affecting the bars themselves. The Alley Bar had its own financial trouble during the pandemic, posting on Facebook on May 29 a tribute to their loyal patrons who “kept us open.” “Before the bars were all about where you can feel safe and comfortable around other gay people and not have any persecution,” Furno said. “[Now] people don’t feel like this is the only place they can go, they can now go anywhere, and have a good time … It doesn’t necessarily need to be a gay bar or gay establishment to have that sense of comfort.” In recent years, queer bars have faced many challenges, which were only worsened by the COVID-19 crisis. Shortly before the pandemic, Fenway nightclubs Machine and Ramrod officially shut down and were demolished for the construction of a mixeduse building, which will include The Boylston Black Box, a performing arts space created by and performed for queer and trans people of color.
Bella Luna & The Milky Way, an LGBTQ-friendly Italian restaurant in Jamaica Plain, permanently closed at the start of the pandemic. Louis Lobato is the president of Mass Bears and Cubs, a non-profit that promotes inclusiveness and camaraderie in the LGBTQ+ community through social and service-oriented programming. Many of their social events take place at queer bars in the Boston area, such as their Bear Tea event at Club Café and Bear Trivia event at Alley Bar. “Our gay bars are still our safe spaces,” Lobato said. “That’s a place COURTESY OF BOSGUY where we can go meet Attendees of the Heels for Hope fundraiser at Club Café in Boston June 2018. LGBTQ+ bars and people like us and be social spaces have begun reopening to in-person social and community activity since statecomfortable.” wide COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted. Ilacqua said many people “reminiscence” about gay same things that you are dealing with of business again because once again, we’re all learning this all over again.” and lesbian bars of the past — at the in your everyday life.” The reopening of queer bars afSustaining these gathering spaces height of the gay bars in the 1970s and ’80s, LGBTQ+ individuals re- ter the pandemic — and other social is important to queer communities lied on those spaces for a sense of spaces — comes with challenges, Lo- and society as a whole, Ilacqua said. bata said. “They’re a community space. You community. “When it comes to any form of go to a bar to get a drink, to see your “When you come out … there are very few places where you’re gathering place … it takes a little lon- friends, to hook up, to comment on surrounded by other queer people,” ger and I think that’s something that other people’s outfits, to dance, to Ilacqua said. “It’s almost like going we’ve all seen and are learning to ac- listen to DJs, to go see drag queens,” to church to be surrounded by peo- cept,” Lobato said. “Let’s respect the she said. “That back out in public in ple who are part of your communi- servers that are helping us, the venue, full force is a return to normal.” Molly Farrar contributed to the ty, who are dealing with some of the management and owners that are trying to schedule and relearn the cycle reporting of this article.
BU film series showcases queer representation and pride Molly Farrar Features Editor
Queer representation in film has spanned genres, languages, eras and the world. Vincent Stephens, the associate dean for diversity and inclusion in the Boston University College of Arts and Sciences, and assistant professor of anthropology and biology Christopher Schmitt said they wanted to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month this year with films showcasing different facets of queerness. Stephens and Schmitt, both members of the LGBTQIA+ Faculty and Staff Community Network, put together the festival this year to have “the first campus-wide pride celebration,” Stephens said. From Portuguese- to Spanishlanguage films to the 2017 Best Motion Picture Oscar winner “Moonlight,” the two organizers wanted to show a diverse collection of LGBTQ+ stories. “The goal was really to cover a range of genres, of themes, of cultures and languages so we didn’t want to just show one type of film or cover one type of era,” Stephens said. “It’s trying to just represent different countries, different experiences, trans experiences, cisgender experiences, Black experiences, just a range.” Six films were screened in total, and each was paired with a postfilm discussion led by a BU faculty member or student. The films can still be viewed through the streaming service Kanopy for free with a BU login. Schmitt joined Célia Bianconi, the coordinator of the Portuguese language program and a master lecturer in Portuguese, in a discussion June 29 about “Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho (The Way He Looks),” a
2014 Brazilian coming out story about a young blind man. Schmitt said the film resonated with students who viewed it. He also said “The Living End,” another film shown with the series, was a part of New Queer Cinema: a movement where queer, defiant, bold independent films mostly produced in the early 1990s provided a different approach to LGBTQ+ characters and stories, many tied to the AIDS epidemic. “A lot of students really appreciated the gentleness of the coming of age story represented by ‘The Way He Looks,’” they said. “Whereas those of us who came of age in the ’90s, we really loved the New Queer Cinema and it’s very confrontational approach to understanding queerness and intersectionality.” Stephens co-led the discussion after the screening of “The Watermelon Woman,” which came out in 1996. The film made history as the first feature film released by an out Black lesbian woman and one of the few films about Black lesbians. Sandra McEvoy, a clinical associate professor of political science and women’s, gender and sexuality studies, led the discussion
side of queer characters outside of stereotypical representations. “It’s not just about COURTESY OF DANIELSTL VIA CREATIVE COMMONS having LGBTQ characters, but really more embodying a kind of ethos, or a kind of politics that’s fed up with mainstream ways of representing LGBTQ people,” they said, “and moving towards this queer moment where queerness represents a kind of messiness.” Schmitt said “The Living End” is a special movie to him. When he was 18 years old, he rented it from a video store and the “very unapologetically queer film” was especially powerful at that time after seeing many LGBTQ+ films represent a film.” “delicate queer,” such as the 1993 “The Living End,” a 1992 film “Philadelphia” starring Tom Hanks, directed and written by Gregg Araki, he said. is about two gay men with HIV who “The men in ‘The Living End’ go on a road trip and crime spree are just balls out not giving any f—. while coming to terms with their They are really just taking what they diagnosis. want in the face of a world that just Anthony Petro, an associate really would rather not see them, and professor in the department of maybe even would rather kill them,” religion and in women’s, gender Schmitt said. “Because of the time and sexuality studies who led the when I saw it and what it meant to me discussion for the film, said the film is when I saw it, I think it is probably twinged with “existential angst” and my favorite of those films.” shows queerness and gay sexuality Stephens said the film festival, unabashedly. which features films viewed as “A lot of these films are very more rebellious and radical for their political and at the same time they’re time, serves an important purpose in often ironic or funny, they’re also bringing diverse, important stories to often very sexy,” he said, “and ‘The the BU community. Living End’ certainly fills all of those “Our audience for this is broad, qualities.” it’s really just any member of the Other films shown include “Todo BU community,” Stephens said. Sobre Mi Madre,” “Una Mujer “Representation matters because Fantastica,” and “Moonlight.” representation helps us understand Petro said queer representation has what is possible.” evolved to show a more dynamic
A film projector. The Boston University Pride Committee and BU Libraries’ Pride Film Series curated five LGBTQ+ themed films to watch throughout June, each with post-viewing discussions led by BU faculty.
on the film with Stephens. Stephens said he spoke about how the film fits into New Queer Cinema and said McEvoy “focus[ed] more on issues of representation and experience in
It’s not just about having LGBTQ characters, but really more embodying a kind of ethos, or a kind of politics that’s fed up with mainstream ways of representing LGBTQ people.
PHOTO 3
GALLERY
2021 March and Vigil for Black Trans Lives Jasmine Li Daily Free Press Staff In the second annual march and vigil organized by Trans Resistance MA, demonstrators marched from Nubian Square to Franklin Park Playstead June 12 for Black transgender lives. Participants gathered afterward for a vigil and pridefest that included performances, tabling by LGBTQ+ and BIPOC community organizations and an art installation in remembrance of transgender community leader Jahaira DeAlto.
A demonstrator hands a flower to a passerby.
A demonstrator chants into a megaphone.
Poet Golden performs a spoken word poem at the pridefest.
Two attendees dance at the pridefest.
Demonstrators hold up a “Black & Trans lives matter!” sign at the march. Two demonstrators embrace at the march.
4 LIFESTYLE
LIFESTYLE How my mothers had children Veronica Thompson Podcast Editor
parent children as well as anyone else.” My two brothers and I are that proof. When my mothers were navigating the process of having children, they decided to use artificial insemination. They had first heard about assisted reproductive technologies at an information workshop on options for same-sex couples to create families. The process they then underwent was a long and arduous one. First, they made a consultation appointment at a fertility clinic called Boston IVF. IVF stands for in-vitro fertilization: a type of artificial insemination involving fertilization outside of the body
that usually takes place in a lab. Assisted reproductive pathways are extremely expensive and often involve multiple attempts, none of which are guaranteed to bring results. My parents luckily As a child of a same-sex had excellent health insurance couple, I have become very used at the time to cover most of the to explaining my family structure costs. to a heteronormative world. I Then they took psychological have two moms, zero fathers and screenings to make sure they very few peers who can directly understood the scientific relate. and emotional aspects of the Reflecting on our family, one procedures to follow. of my moms once wrote in a Next, they selected a journal entry she shared with sperm donor. Boston IVF has me, “the whole formulation of a partnerships with sperm banks, family was extremely important and they provide a binder of to me because I wanted to prove donor profiles which include that same-sex couples could physical characteristics, genetic not only have long term happy traits and personality traits. relationships, but that we could Interestingly, the donor profile my moms ended up selecting is the reason that I am biracial. Both of my moms are Black, but my two siblings and I are half Indian. After selecting a donor, it was time to embark on the trials. There are multiple types of artificial insemination. My moms started with the less expensive, lowtechnology procedures. First was intracervical insemination, or ICI. Before the actual act COURTESY OF COM SALUD AGENCIA DE COMUNICACIÓN VIA FLICKR of insemination, the A petri dish similar to one used in-vitro fertilization (IVF). Artificial insemination often requires mother who would be multiple attempts as well as sufficient financial and psychological preparation. giving birth used an ovulation kit to predict
when she would be most fertile. Meanwhile, the sperm donor’s sperm was frozen and tested for sperm count and sperm motility, meaning the amount of sperm and their ability to swim and move in the proper direction. During ICI, a nurse practitioner uses a syringe with a catheter on the end of it and squirts it directly onto the cervix which mimics ejaculation. Following three unsuccessful cycles of ICI, the doctors decided to conduct an x-ray and blood tests to examine my mom’s reproductive ability. She started taking a hormone called Clomid to help with egg maturity and increase the number of eggs released each month. The next procedure they tried was intrauterine insemination, or IUI, in which the sperm cells are inserted directly into the uterus. Again, she did three cycles of this with no results. Then they finally tried the most expensive and high-technology procedure — IVF. A trial of IVF starts with a surgery during which eggs are harvested and placed into a petri dish. The sperm are introduced to the dish and hopefully, some eggs will be fertilized by the next day. On the second day, doctors continued monitoring those fertilized eggs to see if they were dividing normally. On the third day, my mothers had to decide how many of the fertilized eggs to implant in my mom’s uterus. Those eggs were inserted via a catheter with
the hope that one will attach to the uterine lining and begin its growth. On the third trial of IVF, two embryos ended up being viable and one of them survived. He is my older brother. A year later, my parents wanted to have another child and they found out about a procedure called intracytoplasmic sperm injection, or ICSI, which involves inserting sperm cells directly into eggs. The same daily monitoring process ensued. This time, they harvested 17 eggs and 13 of those were fertilized in the petri dish. Six of those were still alive on the second day. When it was time to implant, three viable embryos were left. Of those three, two had heartbeats at the first ultrasound and they survived the whole pregnancy. They are my twin brother and me. I have always been proud to be created in a lab because I think it’s a testament to how powerful technology can be. And even though only one of my mothers’ eggs and uterus were involved in our growth, our other mom’s tremendous love helped us to grow. They are both equally my mother. Although artificial insemination was a long and tasking process for my parents, not everyone’s experience will be the same. It is just one of many options for people who may be wondering how they can start a family.
Song Spotlights: Pride edition Katrina Liu Lifestyle Editor
As a music lover, it only felt right to highlight some of my favorite songs from queer artists and bands for Pride Month. I hope you take the time to check these tracks out. Some honorable mentions include The Aces, Chelsea Cutler and Troye Sivan. I also hope you make an effort beyond this month to support the LGBTQ+ community, educating yourself and reflecting on how far our society has come with LGBTQ+ rights and how far we need to go. “Honey” by Kehlani With sweet plucks of a guitar and a voice that — forgive the pun — sounds like honey, Kehlani shines in this song. It’s a perfect listen for a Monday morning while sipping coffee and slowly waking up with the sun. Despite its simple yet captivating instrumental, some of the lyrics are up for interpretation. One of my favorite lines is, “I countdown to the clock, saw you awake / Don’t walk away, or would you wait for me?” Personally, I interpret this line as the start of a relationship when you’re still trying to feel the other person out where there’s a bit of a push and pull dynamic. The contrast between the straightforward instrumental and the illuminative lyrics is immaculate. This song makes me want to dance in the kitchen with my partner on an early Sunday morning, right when the sun is peeking up over the horizon. The point is “Honey” is beautiful, and
Kehlani is amazing. “I Know A Place” by MUNA When I first heard this uplifting rallying cry by the queer band MUNA, it was the beginning of quarantine March 2020 on a random playlist. That first listen to “I Know A Place” made me feel hopeful — like I wasn’t alone. Quickly obsessed, I listened over and over again. I felt like crying, but I wasn’t quite sure why. When I looked up the meaning behind the song, I found that it was written in June 2015, days after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage. Knowing this, it made sense why the song was eliciting such strong feelings for me: It was a song written on the mixed feelings of hope, relief and unity. This song applies to so many wholly human situations. We all need a spark of unwavering belief sometimes, whether in ourselves or each other. You can blast this song in the car with friends on a late night, replicating that cliche movie scene we all strive to do, or in your shower trying not to slip as you dance and scream the lyrics with joy. Hearing this song in a club and seeing everyone dance and have the time of their life is something on my bucket list. “Super Rich Kids” by Frank Ocean Even if they don’t avidly listen to his music, Frank Ocean is a name many people recognize. Or at least I did before hearing this jam. This song is one that I feel like I hear a lot when other people have the aux cord, no matter what that person’s music taste is. “Super Rich Kids” is perfect for countless occasions: late-night drives, casual hangouts with friends, in the shower, the list goes on. While
I love many songs by Ocean, this one is the first one I ever heard, and it has a special place in my heart. This song puts me in that typical teenage mood — feeling like I’m better than everyone else yet also mentally comparing myself against other people. Then again, maybe that was just me? This tune is the musical personification of that fleeting second of feeling something you know isn’t great, but you do it anyway. You let yourself indulge in it for just a second. This song is constantly on my shuffle, and I love it dearly, no matter how it makes me feel at that particular moment. Five popular songs by LGBTQ+ artists. ILLUSTRATION BY CONOR KELLEY
“These Days” by JORDY Sometimes you just need a catchy tune. For me, “These Days” is proof that songs don’t always have to be lyric-heavy — a statement that might be a shocker if you’ve read any one of my previous “Song Spotlights.” This song makes me want to dance down Commonwealth Avenue, AirPods in my ears, getting ready for the day. It’s an easy tune, and not in a bad way. Music, to the core, is about how it makes you feel. This song makes me feel light on my feet and makes me want to bop my head. I don’t want to overanalyze this song too much, so just take a listen and enjoy. “Ultimately” by khai dreams
Once in a while, you distinctly remember where you heard a song for the first time. I first heard this song as it streamed softly out of the speakers in my friend’s car on our last catchup before going to our respective colleges. Looking back, this song was fitting, like most things seem to be when you take the time to reflect. This dreamlike song is a hidden gem that I’m very thankful I came across by chance. It puts me at peace, especially when my mind won’t stop thinking. It’s a summer day in a song, if that’s possible. And it’s the perfect song to end this special Song Spotlight on. I love it dearly, and I hope it brings you tranquility.
OPINION 5
OPINION Letter from the Editor: Pride beyond June Lily Kepner Editor-in-Chief
GRAPHIC BY YVONNE TANG
Pride month. It’s a time of celebration — of unapologetic queer joy and love. But it’s also a time of reflection: of how far we have come with LGBTQ+ rights, security and liberty, and how far we have to go. There’s mourning and there’s growth, as well as a strong and loud, courageous fight for visibility and equality. Every year, LGBTQ+ Pride Month takes over the country for 30 days of rainbows, parades and discussions. But do these conversations continue come July? Is the community actually being respected and listened to, not in rainbow-washed marketing, but in full? When I was a reporter in the features team
This small portfolio is just
the beginning of our more
concerted efforts to equitably cover the queer community
at BU and beyond.
my first semester at Boston University, I fell in love with talking to people and learning their stories. Becoming an editor taught me the importance of taking on the responsibility of not only telling stories well, but in finding what stories need to be told. I applied to lead this paper as Editor-in-Chief just more than two months ago because I understand the importance of this responsibility. I know the power of informed journalism and of being watchdogs for vulnerable communities, especially in an imperfect world. And I know queer stories need to be heard. Coming into this job, I know the paper’s not perfect — I know that we can, and must, grow and change. To BU’s queer community —I’m sorry for where we’ve fallen short. I’m sorry for the stories we didn’t tell and the times we didn’t get it right. And I promise that we will change, and that I will do everything in my power to do right by you. One of my most important priorities as Editor-in-Chief is to more inclusively, thoughtfully and intentionally cover the queer community at BU and beyond, especially voices within the community who are so often lost or silenced. This community means a tremendous amount to me, and one I have seen be a beacon of joy, advocacy, leadership and belonging for so many students. As a student newspaper, I view our role not only to inform the student body, but to be a
voice for all students. It’s a role I take seriously and a value I will never sacrifice. I see this small, summer digital issue as a portfolio of our work so far to cover the local LGBTQ+ community this summer and a mere snapshot of our coverage to come. It is the paper’s first Pride issue, and hopefully not the last. Included is a gallery of Boston’s Trans Resistance March Vigil — a vigil many observed instead of going to the Boston Pride celebration, a story on the BU Out List, transgender students experience with gender-neutral bathrooms and dorms in BU housing and more. Our executive board put together this issue eagerly, writing and editing when at internships of their own while across the country. Nearly every section with available staff contributed, and each section will actively work to expand our queer coverage come this Fall. This small portfolio is just the beginning of our more concerted efforts to equitably cover the queer community at BU and beyond by telling more stories that need to be told, especially highlighting the voices of queer people of color, trans individuals and nonbinary people. We want to tell it all: stories of joy and pain, of protest and parade, of truth and fairness. We want to listen to your stories. I joined this paper wanting to expand on the work of past editors to expand our equitable efforts and the quality of our coverage. Last semester, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion chair led mandatory staff training on bias and
equity training. Next year, the paper plans on expanding our equitable and inclusive training in regards to covering the LGBTQ+ community. Aligned with that spirit of equity and improvement, The Daily Free Press will begin using LGBTQ+ instead of LGBTQ when referring to the queer community to be clearly representative and inclusive of the vast identities under the queer umbrella. We also invite calls for change and criticism as we expand our equitable efforts and improve our coverage. I want any student to feel like they can walk into the office, email or call our number and know that we will listen to their concerns and suggestions for improvement. I know it takes time to build trust, but I also know our executive board is ready to build it. I want this paper to be the best it can be. I want it to be a place everyone finds a home. For any student to pick up the paper and see themselves represented there. I want everyone to have a voice. Yesterday, we left June behind. But that does not mean Pride has to stay behind with it. As our paper prepares to enter next semester, we want the queer community to know that we are here: We see you and we support you. And we are listening. Love is love. Lily Kepner Fall 2021 Editor-in-Chief
EDITORIAL BOARD Lily Kepner, Editor-in-Chief Madhri Yehiya, Campus Editor
Emma Sanchez, Managing Editor Sabine Ollivier-Yamin, Opinion Editor Isabella Abraham, City Editor
Sonja Chen, Sports Editor
Yvonne Tang, Layout & Graphics Editor
Conor Kelley, Photo Editor
Katrina Liu, Blog Editor
Veronica Thompson, Podcast Editor Molly Farrar, Features Editor GRAPHIC BY ALEXIA NIZHNY KK Feuerman, Multimedia Editor
SPORTS 6
BU’s Athlete Ally chapter to focus more on education, culture in 2021-22 Sonja Chen Sports Editor When Diego de la Torre joined Boston University’s Athlete Ally chapter as a freshman, the group consisted of a handful of people, mostly members of the chapter’s executive board. But this past year, Athlete Ally’s virtual meetings regularly drew 40 to 50 attendees, a boost in engagement de la Torre said the chapter had been working toward for the past three years. De la Torre, now the chapter president, said he’s proud of how the group has grown on BU’s campus and become a community for student-athletes. “To me, it means a lot to continue to create a welcoming environment, both similar to the one that I was welcomed into … and to make it even more welcoming and make everyone feel comfortable when they arrive at BU,” said de la Torre, who competes in cross country and track and field as a rising senior in the School of Hospitality Administration. BU’s Athlete Ally chapter was founded in 2017. Entering its fifth year, the chapter has already achieved a crowning honor: a perfect score on the Athletic Equality Index, a report that the national Athlete Ally organization created to evaluate LGBTQ+ inclusion policies and practices at all Division I institutions. The AEI scores athletic programs on eight criteria, including transgender inclusion policies, fan codes of conduct and LGBTQ inclusion training for staff and student-athletes. “To create our current policies, a lot of discussion and hard work by our senior administration and Athlete Ally chapter needed to take place, and this is certainly a reward for that process,” said Drew Marrochello, BU’s director of athletics, quoted in an April press release. “Our department prides itself on our inclusive environment and we look forward to setting and reaching new goals within this realm in the future.” BU is one of just 15 D1 schools to receive a perfect score of 100 on the 2020 AEI, which was released in full this June. The Patriot League, BU’s primary
athletic conference, received a score of 52.5 out of 100. According to the 2020 AEI, as of spring 2021, 92% of D1 institutions are not fully inclusive of trans athletes. And just 2.8% of D1 student-athletes compete for departments that fully protect and support LGBTQ identities. Kristie Bowers, BU’s senior associate director of athletics, senior woman administrator, and the BU Athlete Ally chapter’s adviser, said the achievement was a result of combined efforts from student-athletes and staff. “It was really rewarding for our student-athletes who have worked really hard to create an inclusive environment, especially in athletics,” said Bowers. “We’re incredibly fortunate to be at a school like BU that has the support, that has the administrative backing, that has all of those pieces in the puzzle where you’re not fighting.” Athlete Ally scores institutions based on publicly accessible information and has changed the AEI metrics from year to year, so the BU Athlete Ally chapter’s work is far from done. De la Torre said while he thinks BU has good policies, more education about LGBTQ policies in sports — especially those pertaining to trans athletes — will be important going forward. That and further increasing engagement within BU Athletics, he said, are at the top of the agenda for the 2021-22 academic year. “A good thing that we’re going to work on is culture, but obviously you can’t force culture, you can just guide it,” De la Torre said. “Especially within athletics and the teams that we don’t really get to engage with us, we’d like to reach out to them and try to foster a better culture with them.” Bowers said she is proud of the initiative of BU student-athletes in working to ensure that the athletics program is inclusive of LGBTQ+ athletes. BU’s safe and supportive environment, she said, empowers both student-athletes and staff to live authentically and be at their best. “I think that’s a part of who we want our students to be,” Bowers said. “To feel safe and feel supported, and allow them to be authentic so that they can achieve great things in the classroom, in their sport and then in life.”
ILLUSTRATION BY CONOR KELLEY
The Boston University Athlete Ally chapter logo. The chapter received a perfect Athletic Equality Index score this month from the national Athlete Ally organization for its 2020 LGBTQ+ inclusion policies and practices across BU Athletics.
GRAPHIC BY YVONNE TANG