I attended my first outerspace meeting earlier this semester, and honestly was overwhelmed by the number of queer peers that filled the LGBTQA resource center. As a queer kid myself, I was worried about coming out to an event (in all meanings of the phrase) and concerned about how few people there might be at a meeting. But entering the center and seeing more than 30 people in the room affirmed that I am valid, loved, and represented on campus. Here, I’m sitting down with the club president that is making all of this queer magic happen, Casey O’Higgins (’17).
Casey O’Higgins (’17) being a goon at the Coming Out Day event during Spirit Week
When did this club form? And why are you called “outerspace”?
Casey: The club itself has been around since 2013. It was originally called “Friend or FOE” when I started going to the club, which stood for friend (ally) or FOE (Friend Of Elton/Ellen) and the name didn’t stick because it was confusing, the impression is that you’re a friend of the community or you’re not. My first day of office (as president), we decided that “outer space” encompassed a lot of what we stood for: being out in a space where you feel comfortable with your identity.
What are your goals for promoting queer positivity on campus?
Casey: We are the only queer club on campus right now, so we have a lot of pressure on us, but we want to be a social group, connecting people and giving people a space to be able to forget about the campus and be with people that they similarly identify with. The reason [we’re just a social group] is that there was a group before us that was very political and very active on campus and took on too many roles, and that was their downfall. My mentality is to keep it one thing, and it’s social so that we can create an unforced social space for people to come and relax and feel like themselves.
What can allies do to help the queer community on our campus?
Casey: I think the first thing allies have to do are to always ask us what we want, rather than assuming what we want. Never overstep and do what’s best for the queer community by coming to outerspace meetings and to the resource center and being active in your support and always asking questions.
Are you guys associated with Q-House? Why or why not?
Casey: No, we are not. Q–House is just the house that is a space that was what used to be Allies Club, and outerspace is separate from that, but we do host a lot of co-events, we have the same goals of being a social space, but they’re just a house, rather than an advocacy or education group.
If you can’t come to a meeting, how can you show your support for the queer community on campus?
Casey: There is the LGBTQA Resource Center that is always open and always planning events. Attending these events are a huge way to support the queer community, because without outerspace and Q-House and the resource center, there is no queer representation on campus, and coming to events inspires us to have more events and celebrate queer speakers more. Being communicative with Tiffany Lane is a huge way to be a little more involved because she is the one who tells the program coordinators to do these events or to give us the okay for events, and if someone is talking to Tiffany and sees that they’re not represented on campus, then she’ll make an event for them. But right now that’s all we can do. All we can do is make events.
Please consider attending one of their meetings. Allies are welcome at all meetings and welcome to engage in RESPECTFUL discussion. They meet Thursdays at 8pm in the Women and LGBTQA Resource Center, located on the first floor of Apple.