By Rayne Mitchell
The new LGBTQ+ housing at Scholar’s Hall is Susquehanna’s first dedicated building for students of Queer and gender nonconformist identities. The dorms are within two floors and there is a “basement” level with a brand-new LBTQA+ Resource Center. Scholars Hall has flaws in its structure and convenience as a building, but as a community of people who support each other, I couldn’t pick a better dorm.
I am a trans woman and living on campus is my first experience being “out” and living authentically. It was honestly terrifying having no idea who my roommate would be and who would be around me. I didn’t know if I should be in gender neutral housing or if an all-girls floor would single me out, so being offered the LBGTQA+ housing was a huge relief, especially because they are all single rooms.
Scholars Hall residents are quick to lend a helping hand. One day, I was walking out into the pouring rain, and someone living in Scholars handed me their umbrella without me asking. The hall has a group chat, and people ask for help carrying things, water bottles, medicine, or inviting each other to come over all the time. If you forget your key card, just ask the group chat and someone will be there to let you in soon.
Our community has had to stick together for survival in the best of times, and we do not live in the best of times. There is a palpable sense of comradery and security living in this dorm because we know without saying anything we will protect and support each other. It is extremely easy to make friends with your fellow housemates, and there is a sense of being home; you come to enjoy the familiar voices you hear from your room and the familiar faces you run into. Because I feel safe, I am more unapologetically myself., I make more friends who are like me, I feel more confident, and it continues in a self-affirming cycle. I don’t believe an all woman housing unit would have made me feel as comfortable. There is just an instant sense of safety that I would not feel in other dorms.
One major issue is that the building does not have an elevator. An elevator would have made moving in easier, but it’s even more crucial for people who are both queer and disabled, as they are not immune to the injuries and illnesses that may require accommodations they didn’t need before.
As a transgender woman, I can personally attest that this school has done a great job of making me feel welcome. The community, in general, has also been very supportive at a time when it can be intimidating for someone like me, especially in the U.S. The opening of LBGTQA+ housing is truly significant, symbolic of Susquehanna standing by its Queer and gender nonconforming students. I can overlook Scholars Hall’s minor inconveniences for its sense of community, and I hope to see it become only more accepting and accessible to everyone at Susquehanna.
