LGBTQ+ campus support groups, such as Q’nnections, SHADES and T-Time will be revived electronically via Facebook. The groups will be closed and monitored by the Office of LGBTQ+ Programs and Services coordinator and interns (Xavier Delcid/ photo editor).
The support groups provided by the Office of LGBTQ Programs and Services have transitioned to online Facebook groups as of Nov. 14.
According to the Office of LGBTQ Programs and Services, the groups will be closed; any student wishing to join must first request access.
“They’re all closed … so someone would have to request access to them because we want the groups to be a safe space,” Eunisha Tucker, coordinator of LGBTQ Programs and Services, said. “They’re not places for allies. Some spaces just really need to be for specific groups.”
The support groups, including Q’nnections, SHADES and T-Time, previously met in Bailey 247 every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The campus community was made aware of the discontinuation of these support groups via email on Oct. 9.
As described by the Office of LGBTQ Programs and Services, Q’nnections is a group for all LGBTQIA+ Geneseo students and alumni, SHADES is a group for all queer-identified students of color who are students or alumni and T-Time is for all transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming identified students and alumni.
The groups were ultimately terminated due to low attendance, according to an article published in The Lamron on Oct. 24.
“They ended because students weren’t coming,” Tucker said. “Mainly because the support groups were at times students had other obligations like club meetings or e-board meetings.”
According to Tucker, a student initially proposed the idea of moving the groups to Facebook.
“I suggested that perhaps we could move the support groups online, as I think it’s hard for students to be able to consistently meet at the same time, while juggling many other responsibilities,” psychology major juniorFleurian Filkins said in an email statement to The Lamron.
Filkins said they felt meeting via internet could be very beneficial in today’s technological society. They said that this way, students can still become “acquainted with people who have similar struggles” and can foster support systems.
“I think that an online format has the benefit of removing some of the anxiety of entering a group of strangers, by allowing students the opportunity to organize meetups on their own terms,” Filkins said. “As many people in the queer community are the target of bullying, harassment and hate crimes, I think the groups could give people who have been mistreated or traumatized a semblance of comfort by letting us meet people who can relate to our negative experiences.”
Tucker said they were initially upset the in-person support groups were to be terminated and was quick to make the transition to Facebook upon hearing the suggestion.
“They initiated the idea within about a week, which is really amazing and encouraging,” Filkins said. “I hope other departments are similarly receptive to student ideas; it makes me feel like my voice actually matters at Geneseo.”
Before Tucker departs to attend graduate school in the spring, they will be monitoring the online groups with the help of the interns in the office until a new coordinator and interns are appointed.
According to Tucker, the groups will be observed to discourage any discrimination or harmful interactions.
“When I say moderating, I mean just making sure that people aren’t disrespectful,” Tucker said. “Just making sure that any discourse is still respectful, and that people aren’t threatening to out each other or anything like that.”
Tucker believes the online aspect will prove to be more accessible to Geneseo students. This will also allow students to stay in touch with these groups when they graduate.
Though nothing has been posted within the groups yet, their purpose is to positively impact the Geneseo LGBTQ community.
“I hope that the digital support groups can offer people in the queer community the opportunity to feel a little less alien at Geneseo, and a little more comfortable being themselves,” Filkins said. “Hopefully the digital support groups can provide a protective community that will inspire us to keep being ourselves, regardless of any negative reactions from outsiders.”
According to Tucker, the main issue currently is reassuring students the support groups have not been terminated completely.
“Now it’s just about actually getting people in the groups; just marketing them so people know that they still exist, but they’re just moved,” Tucker said.
The online support groups, as well as other information regarding various programs and activities, can be found at the Office of LGBTQ Programs and Services’ Facebook, @GeneseoLGBTQOffice.