Dear readers,

As we prepared for this special edition, we contemplated the intersectional nature of being queer. While we often cling to a label or community, no two queer people will experience their world in the same way. Holding any minority identity does not make someone part of a monolith. This is true of every identity and is part of what makes the queer community beautiful.

Queerness is experienced alongside other realities; we experience the world through multiple lenses. We have thrived in worlds that didn’t want us, and should you ever accuse us of all being the same, you would be denying hundreds of years of culture and counterculture that our found families have built.

Our struggles and passions have seeped into popular culture, pulling us from shadows of the early ballroom scene to the limelight of social media trends. Look at drag and its influence on current fashion trends, and tell me you don’t see its influence on culture.

But no matter the level of appreciation for queer culture, we still see discrimination. We witness our rights, our loves and our identities debated in state capitals and on TV screens.

We see grand social media battles about the so-called “threat” of our presence in the world. We are left to defend the acceptability of our love. No trending hashtag will heal the damage we experience through legal and social repression in our younger years.

As journalists, we see how culture evolves, and we take it upon ourselves to share that evolution through storytelling. We try our best to be objective, sharing every conceivable angle with readers. Our role is to reflect the world back on itself as it is, but that is not without its complications. 

When those identities of “journalist” and “queer person” intersect, it can be difficult to find a place between the news we report and personal experiences. We not only have to witness and experience injustice, but we also have to confront the perpetrators and ask why they behave the way they do. 

It is difficult to combat any bias as a journalist, but it is exceptionally difficult to face those who have made the world an unwelcoming place for us personally. Representing every conceivable angle of a story becomes a daunting task when some of those angles are vehemently anti-LGBTQIA+.

Alongside our responsibility to report on ugly truths, we are granted the immense privilege of elevating underrepresented voices in our community. We may not be able to dictate the actions of those around us, but we can give voice to the voiceless and challenge misconceptions while contributing to the broader narrative of queerness. 

As we watch governments across the country move to put queer communities at risk with “don’t say gay,” book bans and restrictions on trans athletes, it is as important as ever to elevate queer voices. With this edition, we hope to highlight our local LGBTQIA+ community and provide perspective on key issues. 

Sincerely,

Queer-identifying employees and their allies at The Collegian

Reach the editorial staff at letters@collegian.com.