At Marquette, the fourth Trans* Compassion Week took place between Nov. 13 and Nov. 20. The LGBTQ+ Resource Center held a series of events throughout the week to show support for the trans* community.
The asterisk on “trans*” serves as an umbrella term to also include people who don’t identify as transgender, but their gender is different from the sex they were assigned at birth.
Trans* Compassion Week began with a campus wide day of silence to honor and remember trans* people that lost their lives due to violence. Following that, there was a self-care workshop, a Soup with Substance event, tea in the resource center and a crafting. There was a vigil to honor Trans Day of Remembrance close out the week.
Each event served as an opportunity for students to engage and learn more about how to play a supportive role toward the trans* community at Marquette.
During the week the resource center also collected donations for the queer closet. The queer closet provides free gender-affirming clothing to all Marquette students with the goal of creating a more supportive environment for gender expression.
Zabrain Oglesby, assistant director for the LGBTQ+ Resource Center, led the Soup with Substance event Nov. 15 inside the Alumni Memorial Union. During the event, there was a presentation which contextualized the trans* community and gave an overview of the meaning of Trans* Day of Remembrance. After, discussion took place at each table on how to make a more inclusive environment for trans* students.
Oglesby said that behavior and language is important in order to build a more supportive environment for trans* people; they said that if an individual is accepted for their identity, they will have a better sense of self.
Towards the end of the event, students and faculty were able to discuss a variety of questions that were provided at each table. These questions were structured to cultivate ideas about the ways in which students and faculty can build a more supportive and friendlier community for trans* students at Marquette.
Mia Gleason, a senior in the College of Education, said that she attended Soup with Substance event for a class, and also to show support for the trans* community.
“The event impacted me because these questions really made me think about how I can tangibly influence the environment for the trans* community,” Gleason said.
Anna Lou Dassinger, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, said she believes in the power of learning while also supporting the trans* community.
“You can only be the difference if you engage with opportunities that allow you to be educated on things, especially when it’s about something you don’t necessarily identify with,” Dassinger said.
Timmy Wotring, graduate assistant for the LGBTQ+ resource center, said that Marquette is one of the four Jesuit schools with a LGBTQ+ resource center.
“We can become content with saying ‘We’re doing enough.’ Marquette pushes to do more, there’s been more faculty support,” Wotring said.
Wotring said that support, through engagement and action, can make a difference during Trans* Compassion Week and for the greater LGBTQ+ community.
“We want people to continue to support us. We want people to know that we welcome conversations. Little things are supportive, like learning about the events we hold,” Wotring said.
This story was written by Olivia Stanley. She can be reached at [email protected]
