This path was created by Anastacia Negron. The last update was by Mary A Armstrong.
Finding Refuge: Inside and Outside of Lafayette’s Bubble - Anastacia Negron, Class of 2023, Lafayette College
While there may not have been a strong queer community at Lafayette in the past, queer people have always been at the college. Historically, Lafayette has overwhelmingly had a culture of Greek Life and Athletics, setting a hypermasculine tone for the college. Queer individuals have often had to navigate these heteronormative and homophobic spaces without support from their peers. Nonetheless, some Queer individuals have found refuge in these hostile environments due to their athletic ability or need to find community. Queer people exist in all spaces, not just ones that are explicitly queer. In addition, due to the lack of official queer spaces, unofficial spaces existed where queer people could go to and be themselves without judgment from the outside. The Arts have traditionally been a place where queer people are able to openly express themselves without repercussions and that isn’t any different at Lafayette. In addition, McKelvy House is a unique living place where many scholars have found a sense of community. And sometimes students have also ventured outside of the Lafayette community to find others to relate to or date, or to feel seen. While Lafayette may have been extremely homophobic at times, that doesn't mean the rest of the world has been.
In this essay, I will be exploring places of refuge both inside and outside of the bubble that we call Lafayette College. More specifically, I will be looking at what makes “hostile” environments unsafe for students, and how individuals can still find community within those spaces. In addition, I will be looking at the flaws within unofficial “safe” queer spaces and how they may be exclusionary to other marginalized groups. Lastly, I will be exploring life outside Lafayette College, looking at how queer students have found community off campus.