This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Hamilton chapter.
Who are the members of the Rainbow Alliance E-Board?
Co-Chairs: Jose Vazquez ’15 and MJ Lugo ’16
Social Chairs: Doug Santoro ’14 and Flavia Oliveira ’16
Publicity Chair: Chris Lepre ’15
Education Chair: Tsion Tesfaye ’16
Cultural Chair: Milinda Ajawara ’16
What would you say Rainbow’s main purpose is on campus?
We see Rainbow’s purpose on campus as providing SASS for LGBTQ+ students and allies – Subtle Activism and Social Support, that is (though we bring plenty of sass as well!). In regards to subtle activism, we want Rainbow to serve as a seat of education about issues facing the LGBTQ+ community both through our weekly meetings and campus-wide events such as poster campaigns and speakers. Furthermore, Rainbow serves an important role as being a safe space for LGBTQ+ students to connect with one another and share their experiences. Rainbow is also a resource for students who are questioning their sexuality or for those who want to learn more about the LGBTQ+ community.
When was Rainbow first founded at Hamilton? Has it grown a lot since?
The Rainbow Alliance of today is a relatively new organization at Hamilton. Thirty years ago, a small, secret group called the Gay-Lesbian Alliance existed that met off-campus to discuss being LGBTQ at Hamilton. Rainbow was officially founded in 2001, and has gone through many changes in the past 12 years. The organization initially met in the basement of Keehn, then moved to the Glen House, until finally finding a home in the Days-Massolo Center in 2011. Rainbow has its own dedicated room on the second floor of the DMC, but meeting attendance has been so large as of late that we have been meeting in the main, first floor room instead. We have experienced a surge in membership this year, having almost 60 attendees at the first couple meetings and retaining a solid 30-35 for subsequent meetings. Rainbow is also becoming a much larger presence on campus because we have been focusing on hosting lots of great events!
What events do you have planned for the rest of the semester?
Rainbow has lots of exciting events planned for the rest of the semester! The third installment of our Out and Ally List is set to be released in the near future. Next weekend we are hosting an all-campus party in celebration of National Coming Out Day and LGBTQ history month. Our annual drag show is planned for November as well. We also have poster campaigns, movie nights, and much more planned for the remainder the semester.
I’m not LGBTQ+, but I’m an ally- can I still come to the meetings? When are they?
Of course, we love our allies! Many of Rainbow’s members are allies, and they offer a valuable perspective. Our meetings are at 9pm on Wednesdays in the Days-Massolo Center (blue building right next to Wellin Museum), so stop by!
What advice do you give to students who may be questioning their sexuality or who are seeking a place to come out at Hamilton?
Talk to someone about it! If you don’t feel comfortable coming to a Rainbow meeting but still want to talk to an out LGBTQ+ student, don’t hesitate to contact us. If you do attend a Rainbow meeting, you’ll see that there are plenty of students at Hamilton who are out and happy. Know that Rainbow and its members are a valuable resource and can definitely answer any questions you may have and help make the coming out process easier. Also, if you have a question but are hesitant to ask it out loud at a meeting, we have a question jar that allows for anonymous question submission. We try to address at least one question from the jar each meeting, and sometimes we have entire meetings dedicated to answering them. Two other great resources on campus are Amit Taneja, the director of the DMC, and Open Doors. Like Rainbow, Open Doors is a forum for LGBTQ+ students and allies to safely discuss issues they face on campus, but in a much smaller group setting. Open Doors meets bi-weekly at 6:30 on Tuesdays in the DMC.
