BUZZ
‘Crucial’ to note school nickname of ‘Gay-U’ was ‘coined by the campus’s heterosexual student population’
American University’s reputation for being known as “Gay-U” rings hollow to certain members of the student body, especially those identifying as BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of color) and LGBTQ+.
According to The Eagle, although American provides resources that offer “affirmation” to those communities — such as the Center for Student Belonging and Trans and Queer Cooperative — some students said there’s “a gap” between what the university promises … and “what they experience.”
Psychology and African American/African Diaspora Studies graduate Mercy Asamoah claimed saying “Gay-U” typically infers queer white individuals, not black.
“I know people want to delve even further into aspects of queerness, what queerness means to them and how interacting with other people kind of influences perceptions of their own queerness; stuff like that,” Asamoah said.
Psychology and Public Health major Joshua Lee said it’s “crucial” to note the “Gay U” nickname “was coined by the campus’s heterosexual student population.”
“Straightness is the norm,” Lee said, adding that the school’s nickname “reinforces social ‘othering’” and a “hierarchical divide” between queer and straight students.
“There’s a need to point out when it’s not a norm in a space, and therefore straight people started calling AU ‘Gay-U’ because they’ve noticed so many gay people here,” he/they said.
International Service student Noah Chen Green, who noted “Gay-U” used to have a negative connotation but the queer community “reappropriated” it, said he/they was/were frustrated less by the nickname than American’s alleged dearth of “meaningful, queer-specific programming.”
American’s programs don’t “feel reflective,” Green said. “Our struggle has moved. The material struggle that queer people go through, that trans people go through now, is far greater than what a rainbow could represent.”
Green, like many students, felt that the administration needs to be held accountable for the public image of openness and acceptance of queer identities — which has only been possible through the actions of the student body.
“I think in showing ourselves grace, we must also shine light and be lovingly critical of what isn’t working,” Green said. …
Zo Wofford, a recent graduate from [College of Arts & Sciences] who goes by they/them pronouns, said there’s a gap between the University’s queer-friendly reputation and the realities that transgender students face on campus.
“It feels like AU is trying to capitalize on the fact that there are so many queer students here without actually doing anything to really help us,” Wofford said.
Wofford called their experience a “string of inconveniences” when it came to getting support on preferred names being used in official communication from the administration, having a place to dispose of menstrual products in the men’s bathroom and with professors fumbling to use the correct pronouns.
Gabe Michelangelo, president of PRIDE at AU, said the university should “stop being so ambiguous” about supporting LGBTQ+ students and just come out and “explicitly say” it’s a “safe space for them.
MORE: American U. students miffed new wellness center doesn’t cater to each letter of LGBTQ+
