When trying to find a sense of community and safe spaces in a new place—such as a college campus—student organizations, clubs and community events are often the first thing a member of the LGBTQ+ community will look for. However, when it comes to UHCL, there is a notable lack of visibility and presence for gay, trans or otherwise queer students. 

While the campus itself is broadly supportive, an official means for searching and finding likeminded individuals is somewhat absent. 

Across the many student organizations available for students to join, of which there are over 90, there is only one group available for any member of the LGBTQ+ community: The LGBTQ Student Coalition.

Even with an official student organization solely dedicated to the queer community, there is still a noticeable absence when it comes to gathering or uniting the queer student body. 

When asked about these issues, student officer Mak Routon-Woods provided an explanation. “Unfortunately, with the cutting of DEI, our organization has struggled to gather funding. For the events we do submit, they either do not get approved or are denied.”

All of the Coalition’s current leadership being part of the Senior class has led to their duties as officers being neglected due to a collective increase in the obligations they have, including the search for their successors, internships, and the search for career opportunities on top of commuting.

“We are still working to organize and transfer our current leadership to newer students. For now, we exist as a space to provide resources to LGBTQ+ students who reach out to us,” continued Routon-Woods.

Despite the organization’s hard work, simply finding out that the group exists at all is quite difficult unless specifically searching online for it. 

When searching the terms “Gay,” “LGBT,” and “Queer” on the UHCL website home page, the organization does not show up. Instead, there is a singular page about traveling abroad, alongside several vaguely associated faculty members that feature such terms in their About or Biography sections.

There is no mention of the Coalition, a GroupMe—a popular form of communication used by student organizations—or any other form of community for queer students. 

Though the Coalition is facing its own slew of issues, the fact that a single student organization facing hardship leaves no other viable alternative for queer students to find community emphasizes just how underrepresented the LGBTQ+ community is here on campus.

If anyone is interested in reaching out, either to gather resources for themselves or to offer their assistance, the Coalition can be found by searching for the “LGBT Student Coalition” on Campusgroups, a mobile app that helps students find several student organizations, clubs and groups. The listed officers and current advisor can be further contacted via email. Please, be kind and considerate when contacting them.