The Queer Memory Project is a multi-semester project aiming to bring students from all backgrounds and years together to support the vision of this ChangeLab. We aim to make the invisible visible and return a piece of queer history to this campus that has been lost to time. We are in the first semester of this project, and have already learned so much about the legacies that queer people, out and closeted, have left on this campus. Our end goal is to display the panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt produced by University of Evansville students in the early 1990s in a gallery setting.  This will platform alumni and current students to share their experiences and make a permanent impact on UE’s campus. We also intend to revive the queer culture on campus, helping its pulse to beat stronger with organized events and spaces for LGBTQIA+ students to plant their roots into UE’s history. 

Our first act of visibility as a group was to bring color to campus and spread positive messages about community, visibility, and the power of marginalized voices. We spent a couple of weeks organizing this event, deciding what we wanted it to look like, where we wanted our rainbows to appear, and what message we wanted to convey. Ultimately, we chose to send a message of support and strength. Queer people are everywhere, regardless of how visible we are. We are your professors, your neighbors, and your loved ones. In a social and political climate that has continuously suppressed the voices of queer people, we wanted to show our campus community that the love and strength of the LGBTQIA+ community is something that cannot be broken. 

The chalking itself was such a fun experience. We laughed a lot, ended up with colors all over our clothes, and watched people pass us with smiles. The evening after the chalking, we didn’t see much of a reaction from the campus, but, in the middle of the afternoon the next day, social media seemed to explode with reactions from students around campus. We received a lot of angry reactions at first, the hate seemed to flood all our feeds, but slowly we watched the support for our message and the queer community on campus pour in. It was powerful to watch how the love drowned out the hate, and the commotion seemed to fizzle out after a day and a half. We even had threats of destroying our work, but nothing came of them. This experience taught me a lot. I learned that the risk of backlash is present, but it isn’t at all as heavy as the reward of seeing the love around campus. Students at UE celebrated diversity that day when YikYak exploded, and it was clear that the people who were resisting inclusivity and diversity were the minority, no matter how loud they seemed. 

In our efforts to preserve the memory of the AIDs Memorial Quilts, we decided we needed to know more about HIV and AIDs in general. We wanted to be able to speak about it in an educated and informed way, as well as create connections within the community with our campus and project. We invited Matthew 25 to speak to our class about what HIV and AIDs is and how to navigate misinformation about it, along with the work they are currently doing. They taught us about how it spreads (no, you cannot “catch” it from mosquitos or toilet seats) and that treatment is a real possibility for people, regardless of their sexual orientation, to live fruitful lives.

On a more personal level, I think this project will change the lives of people involved in it, especially people like me who are looking for the space where they belong. We’ve had a few good discussions as a group about what this project means to us, both privately and in the form of a podcast that we’re releasing with Student Media. It has given me a safe place to land after not having a solid community around me for years, and I couldn’t be more grateful for this experience. I’m looking forward to where this project goes, and we have a lot planned. 

I’m also very sad to see our seniors leave us after this semester, so this is my love letter to them: I love you guys beyond words. You all have such a bright future ahead of you, and I know you’re going to make a difference in the world, no matter the scale. Thank you for believing in the vision of this project just as much as everyone here, especially when you knew you wouldn’t be able to see it through directly. In my opinion, that’s exactly what this project and community is about. The LGBTQIA+ community isn’t self-serving, it uplifts everyone. You guys have done that. As for those of us left or the students watching this project develop: I can’t wait to see where we go. If you want to make a difference on campus, consider joining the Queer Memory Project. There is a place for everyone in this project, regardless of your major or your experience. Everyone is valuable here, everyone is loved, no one is invisible.