SERVING AND SUPPORTING LGBTQIA+ STUDENTS IN 2023

by aiLeen Lambert

Itook on the role of Coordinator for LGBTQIA+ Programs and Initiatives in the Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement in August 2022. While it was no secret that the political climate for queer people nationwide was becoming increasingly tense, the aggressive onslaught of targeted attacks on gender and sexuality minorities during the 2023 spring legislative session came as a shock. As of July 2023, the American Civil Liberties Union has reported 491 bills advanced this year, targeting LGBTQ+ people nationwide, with 25 of those bills introduced in Mississippi (and two passing). The stakes for interrogating university systems that disproportionately impacted LGBTQ+ students, while also modeling how to engage in resistance responsibly and further creating opportunities for queer students to experience joy, inspiration, and validation in the midst of political despair, felt dire. Encouraging a sense of belonging in a part of the country that was communicating increasingly more explicit intents for queer eradication challenged my heart.

As a staff member in a student-facing position, the character of my work differs from the academic- centered work of the Isom Center, though the goals of our work are often similar. I am not a professor of Gender Studies, though I frequently teach people how to engage with gender in new and expansive ways. I am not an activist, but I advocate for the change to make the University of Mississippi more hospitable and affirming of queerness. I am a representative of the University, but my strongest alliances are with the students, staff, and faculty who disrupt systems on campus that do not serve people who challenge traditional gender and sexuality expectations. It makes for a unique experience within a greater campus community.

I also do this work in the greater context of LGBTQ+ history. Queer history is a legacy of disruption and resistance through diverse strategies, many of which don’t fit conventional expectations for professionalism. Queerness embraces diffi- culty, willfulness, and strangeness. It demands persistence, humor, and creativity. As I navigate the delicate balance between role modeling as a queer adult and role modeling as a representative of a flagship university, I often recall Sara Ahmed’s definition of the feminist killjoy:

A killjoy: the one who gets in the way of other people's happiness. Or just the one who is in the way—you can be in the way of whatever, if you are already perceived as being in the way. Your very arrival into a room is a reminder of histories that "get in the way" of the occupation of that room.

Modeling professionalism to the students I work with and modeling a killjoy philosophy often feel at odds with one another. In a social climate that makes a political talking point of the rights and existence of the communities I serve, demonstrating the unwavering support I expect of someone in my position requires strategic precision and vigilance. It also requires partners.

The creative and willful work of the Isom Center exemplifies this philosophy of “getting in the way” in a style I admire and appreciate, especially from the vantage point of the inner workings of a university. Together this year, we tackled creating opportunities for queer affirming student housing through continued work on the Lavender LLC. We invited academics and professionals to campus who demonstrated routes to authentic professional success as a queer person, including Washington Post journalist and author Casey Parks. We collaborated to honor over 30 graduating students at the 8th Annual Lavender Graduation.

Most significantly to me, however, we have built a partnership built on trust, candor, respect, and understanding, which only serves us as we envision future strategies for queer worldmaking at the University of Mississippi. Forging my own style in LGBTQIA+ student services has been a rigorous and introspective journey, and one that is by no means finished. As such, Jaime, Theresa, Kevin, Nora, and all the Isom Center partners and co-conspirators have been and continue to be valuable accomplices.