PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A traveling exhibit highlighting LGBTQ activism will be on display at Gwynedd Mercy University this week.
Starting Monday, students, faculty and staff can explore “Out on Campus: A History of LGBTQ+ Activism at Pennsylvania Colleges and Universities.”
It highlights activism for LGBTQ rights both past and present in colleges across Pennsylvania, as well as the organizations that lead those efforts. And Tatiana Diaz, assistant vice president of Gwynedd’s Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, says the exhibit has special meaning this year.
“We are celebrating our 75th year anniversary as a university,” Diaz said. “And I think it's always important to recognize the contributions of our own LGBT community as part of that history.”
Gwynedd launched its first LGBTQ student organization in 2017. Recognizing that 33% of LGBTQ college students across the nation have reported being bullied, harassed, or assaulted on campus, Diaz says the need for continued activism and awareness is important.
“As we tried to create spaces that are inclusive, and that are welcoming to all of our students, and to all of our community, we need to make sure that marginalized populations are part of that larger story,” Diaz said.
“College has been one of those spaces that allows individuals to kind of, for the first time, find safe spaces to be able to come out to be able to hopefully find a community.”