Somehow, in Her Campus @ Geneseo’s brief existence on this earth, we have wholly earned our self-title of “gayest campus chapter”. We are one of the most consistent campuses that appears on the site’s LGBTQ+ section, and even our articles not relating to LGBTQ+ issues often contain statements about our sexual identities.
As a queer woman, being given free reign to write about my sexuality for Her Campus is an incredibly freeing experience. Our team’s articles on sexuality can range from extremely serious to incredibly not, but at the end of the day, the fact that we can write about them so frankly is wonderful.
I suppose then, for many, the question is “why?” Why exactly is it so important for our LBGTQ+ Her Campus writers to talk about their identities? Why does every article that we produce have to include LGBTQ+ topics? Why is every other word out of my mouth about my identity? Why is it that so many LGBTQ+ people just can’t stop talking about their gender and sexualities? If you’ve ever thought this way as an outsider of the LGBTQ+ community, you’re not automatically a bad person. It’s understandable! But you should know why it is that we are so loud and unceasing when it comes to our identities.
The simple answer is this: it’s LGBTQ+ culture.
What’s difficult for people who are not a part of the LGBTQ+ community to understand is just that—it’s a community. We value and share many experiences that non-LGBTQ+ people do not. There is no such thing as a “straight community”, outside of LGBTQ+ memes.
The LGBTQ+ movement has a long history that is a cycle of oppression and uprising. These themes are directly tied to our identities, even in the current day. People outside of the movement often do not have their sexual or gender identities tied to a movement like this. As far as they have been told their entire lives, they are the “norm”. As a result, their sexual or gender identity becomes something not worth celebrating. It is confusing when LGBTQ+ persons feel differently because non-LGBTQ+ persons have never been made to feel as if their identities are wrong or out of the norm as we have.
And with that being said, not every LGBTQ+ person is out there standing on top of the mountains, screaming and waving a Pride flag. Different LGBTQ+ people have different ways of examining and presenting their identities—almost as if we’re, shockingly, different people. Some LGBTQ+ people are closeted and can’t present their identity at all, even if they want to.
There’s also the matter that even if you do come out, it is a continuous process, contrary to popular belief. Coming out once to your family does not mean that everyone you will ever encounter automatically knows that you are LGBTQ+. Talking about and celebrating our identities publically is a way to affirm ourselves to the world around us.
There’s a lot more to be said on this topic, but this is just a brief explanation for interested allies. Hopefully, our love of our identities makes a little more sense now.
And if you’ll excuse me, I have an article on ranking Goldfish crackers by queerness to edit.
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