On a campus where community is the backbone and belonging the goal, three LGBTQ+ Flyers — senior Paige Lupie, first-year student Eric Diskowski and KinsLeigh Jones ’24  —  talk about their experiences at UD.

What does belonging mean to you? 

PAIGE LUPIE: Belonging is feeling accepted and welcome in a space with yourself and others.

ERIC DISKOWSKI: Feeling like I don’t have to mask anything, and being able to find friends that know who you are and are OK with that.

KINSLEIGH JONES: It’s something you know when you have it. It’s a place where you have a sense of safety. I can be authentically me.

How has being a part of the LGBTQ+ community affected your life and experiences? 

PL: You’re constantly coming out to new people. It’s assumed you’re straight, which I think has made me more proud of who I am. I want people to know because I don’t want assumptions, and I think coming out makes other people comfortable to share their identities, too.

ED: It has been difficult at times. When someone brings up girlfriends, you smile and laugh it away, and can’t say how you truly feel. I wish I could have accepted myself.

What about your experiences at UD specifically?

KJ: The best part of college began when I joined Q*mmunity Leaders. It gave me direction and purpose. I received the Queer Joy Award my junior year, and I wouldn’t have found that kind of joy anywhere else except in a community that loves, accepts and celebrates me the way this one did. And it was not just the LGBTQ+ community — allies are so important. My roommates were so important in getting me to these spaces, supporting me and loving me.

ED: When I got here, I decided to be more open. I have been able to get more involved in helping people like me; it makes me feel nice to pass along some of the comfort I wish I received when I was young.

What is a challenge you’ve experienced?

KJ: When people don’t understand — or don’t want to understand — who you are, or when they’ve been taught to hate who you are. It becomes exhausting to constantly defend or explain yourself. But we were able to approach these challenges in a positive way, like using joy as a means to understand, connect and humanize one another.

ED: There are people who oppose certain groups, which can separate communities. I think having a sense of security is great, but could have an opposite effect and lead to people part of that group being targeted. 

UD strives to create an environment where everyone feels they belong. Is it successful?

KJ: We [have] a space of our own [The Kennedy/Baird LGBTQ+ & Allied Student Lounge]. Not all college campuses have that. President [Eric] Spina would attend our events and show support, which I think is super important. The faculty fought for us. 

PL: As a whole, there’s always more education to be done. 

Photos provided by Paige Lupie and KinsLeigh Jones