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Laughter and the soft shuffling of yarn weaving into crocheted patterns fills the room. Colorful flags hang from each corner.

Every Friday, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., this scene welcomes LGBTQ+ students at Syracuse University to the LGBTQ+ Resource Center’s “What’s the Stitch?” event. In a lounge toward the back of SU’s Intercultural Collective space, students gather to make crafts, chat and find safety.

“It’s a space where I don’t have to worry about myself or my friends, because I know they’re all okay in that moment,” said Ori Sullivan, a sophomore chemistry and computer science major at SU. “If they’re there, they’re safe and welcomed.”

Ella Chan | Asst. Photo Editor

On Inauguration Day, President Donald Trump issued an executive order declaring “only two immutable sexes,” male and female, would be recognized by the United States government. He also terminated diversity, equity and inclusion programs within the federal government, placing employees from the field on leave.

The Trump administration eliminated almost all LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS content and resources from the White House’s official website and key federal agency webpages. Many LGBTQ+ identifying terms, like “lesbian,” “gay,” “transgender,” “sexual orientation” and “gender identity,” are no longer visible on the White House website.

With the history of legislative restrictions on the teaching of LGBTQ+ topics — such as Gov. Ron DeSantis’ HB 1557: Parental Rights in Education, also known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law — and the Trump administration’s decision to erase LGBTQ+ content from federal websites, LGBTQ+ faculty and professors worry whether they will be able continue teaching about these topics in the future.

As an associate professor of communication and rhetorical studies, Erin Rand feels the risk is compounded because she also identifies as queer and much of her teaching focuses on queer sexuality and women and gender studies.

“All of us are feeling pretty uneasy about what our jobs are going to look like, especially those of us whose work is centered in questions of gender, sexuality, race and ability,” Rand said. “If I’m not allowed to talk about that stuff, I don’t know what to do anymore.”

Alongside education about LGBTQ+ topics, transgender identities have been a particularly visible and contentious subject in U.S. legislation recently. 175 anti-trans bills were considered at both a state and national level in 2022, according to the Trans Legislation Tracker. By the end of 2024, 672 bills had been considered.

Access to gender-affirming healthcare remains one of the topics most under threat. Lavie Bunnage, a freshman studying international relations, uses hormone replacement therapy and takes estradiol, an estrogen steroid hormone, to combat their gender dysphoria.

Ella Chan | Asst. Photo Editor

“This has made me just all around so much happier than I was before,” Bunnage said. “This stuff is life-saving, so it would be honestly tragic to have people’s access to this treatment just revoked or restricted.”

Many LGBTQ+ students are worried about not only anti-trans legislation, but also anti-trans rhetoric that will affect them under Trump’s second presidency. As anti-LGBTQ+ legislation continues to pass, the LGBTQ+ community only suffers from more stress. During Trump’s first presidency, extreme mental distress within the LGBTQ+ community increased.

The Trevor Project saw a 700% increase in use of its crisis hotlines the day after the election and a 33% increase the day after President Trump’s inauguration, in comparison to the weeks prior.

“It’s a constant misery,”​​ Bunnage said. “So many of my friends are direct targets of what he’s doing.”

The LGBTQ+ community has always gathered together to weather the storm, from protesting during the Stonewall Uprising to surviving oppression during the AIDS crisis. In times of oppression, Bunnage said it’s important for people to stick together because marginalized communities still survive and persist by building strong connections.

This semester, the LGBTQ+ Resource Center is establishing more events and support systems for the LGBTQ+ community. Along with “What’s the Stitch?,” the center is holding Gaymer Night in the Schine Student Center once a month for students to relax and find community through gaming. It also plans on hosting several workshops, like an inclusive sex education workshop and a Drag 101 makeup workshop hosted by local drag artists.

Ella Chan | Asst. Photo Editor

“Letting students know they have a home here, spreading awareness and education and resources, all of those pillars are super important,” Emily Stewart, the LGBTQ+ Resource Center’s director, said.

The center hopes to establish more connections between the SU LGBTQ+ community and local community. It also plans to partner with other departments to expand programming.

“This doesn’t have to be only about destruction,” Rand said. “It can also be about building things.”

Published on January 23, 2025 at 1:43 am