By: Lily McCormick
The University of Montevallo Spectrum Club aims to provide a safe space for students identifying with the LGBTQ+ community. However, the 2022-2023 school year has brought new challenges for the organization.
The past year has seen a dramatic increase in the number of bills and legislation targeting the LGBTQ+ community, specifically those who identify as transgender. Oxford Dictionary describes transgender as “Designating a person whose sense of personal identity and gender does not correspond to that person’s sex at birth, or which does not otherwise conform to conventional notions of sex and gender.”
According to the Washington Post, the “transgender bill trend” is only getting more intense. In 2018, there were 19 recorded bills, mostly revolving around the use of public restrooms. However, this number has ballooned to 155 with topics ranging from gender-affirming health care to transgender children’s participation in sports.
Spectrum Club spent a lot of the fall semester advocating for all single-stall restrooms on campus to be relabeled as gender-neutral bathrooms. The bill’s passing was a group success with SGA partnering with Spectrum Club president, Josie Shaw as well as John Denson, the Director of Housing and Student Life at Montevallo.
After the legislative success, Spectrum turned its attention to providing support for the LGBTQ+ community and its allies.
“This year from Spectrum has been split with our first semester really focusing on passing legislation…and then this semester has been focused on mutual aid,” Shaw said.
This shift was partly due to the recent emphasis on those identifying as LGBTQ+ in the news and political sphere. One of their largest events was the Spectrum Club Prom.
“This was an inclusive event for people who never had their prom back in high school because they were queer and couldn’t be out,” said Shaw.
The event was a chance for the club members to experience prom in a safe and welcoming environment, a theme throughout all Spectrum events.
Similarly, when Luke Beets, a traveling preacher known for his controversial statements, came to campus Spectrum took the opportunity to come together. While many Montevallo students took to the quad to argue with and heckle Beets, Spectrum hosted a “Queer Joy Crafting” event inside Farmer Hall. The event has free food and students were able to create friendship bracelets and other crafts.
“Instead of focusing on getting him kicked off campus, we focused on loving each other and spreading queer joy and queer pride,” said Shaw about the event.
More recently, the club has turned its attention towards education and sex-ed for both queer and straight students on campus. This week, they partnered with “Safe Zone” to provide training for faculty, staff and students on providing a safe space for queer students.
Safe Zone provided the training and “attendees will be provided with a resource handbook and a Safe Zone decal for their office door,” according to the event on FalconLink.
The Safe Zone training so one implementation for the club trying to reach out to more allies and straight students on campus.
“If anyone wants to improve their allyship I think the best thing they can do is listen to their queer friends and peers, be there for them through this tough time and involve yourself in Spectrum,” said Shaw.
The club and all Spctrum events are open to all students, regardless of sexuality or gender identity.
“We really try to emphasize that you don’t have to be queer to enjoy these things and to be around these things and it is honestly recommended that we have more allies. But, it’s really as simple as showing up and listening,” said Shaw.
In the next few weeks, Spectrum will be releasing their Spectrum Zine which will be a “UM-focused sex-ed toolkit that highlights queer art and lgbtq resources,” according to the Spectrum Instagram page.
For more information on the zine or how to get involved with Spectrum, visit FalconLink or their Instagram page.
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