By Waleed Waite
Trinity Times Correspondent

The journey as a transsexual and nonbinary identity has not always been an easy one for Trinity Washington University student Katia Vinogradov, who believes an officially recognized LGBTQIA student organization on campus could provide a better sense of acceptance at the school.

“I really think that representation is very important, especially at an all-girls school,” Vinogradov said, “because we do have male students (in some segments of the university), we do have nonbinary people, there just needs to be more (recognition) of it. Because if you start a class and the teacher says, ‘good morning, ladies…,’ it feels a little off.”

There actually have been active LGBTQIA student organizations at Trinity in the past, most recently during the 2014-2015 academic year with a club called “OUT,” said Karen Gerlach, Trinity’s vice president for student affairs.

Those groups, however, are student run and must have active participation to remain operational, which is why OUT is no longer a functioning club on Trinity’s campus.

Though Vinogradov and other students who identify as LGBTQIA – a common abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual communities – said they did feel welcomed at Trinity, they also said an active student organization could help the school during the admission process, which they said was slightly lacking in showing support for LGBTQIA identities.

It’s a concept that Gerlach agreed with and said past groups have been beneficial to the university.

When the OUT club was active, it provided advocacy, education, and support to the LGBTQIA community at Trinity, she said.

“The club hosted events to open the dialogue amongst students regarding differences and tolerance,” Gerlach said. “They participated in many events including ‘Domestic Violence Awareness,’ service projects and ‘Take Back the Night,'” an event designed to stand against sexual violence.

Students are welcomed to form another LGBTQIA organization at Trinity, as long as it follows the guidelines and procedures as the other recognized clubs at the university, she said, but added it would have to be initiated by students.

Trinity freshman Christine Wood – who identifies as bisexual – told Trinity Times a recognized LGBTQIA student organization would clarify that all are welcomed at the university.

“Especially at a Catholic school, there is a preconceived notion that there might be, you know, stigma surrounding that,” Wood said. “I did remember that during admissions all students of all religions and beliefs are welcome, but not specifically with the LGBTQ. So, I think that could definitely be addressed more.” 

Questions about the welcome status of students concerning sexual orientation and identification has been an issue at other Catholic institutions with varying results.

For instance, there has been a decade-long battle at The Catholic University of America in Washington to have an underground LGBTQIA student group officially recognized by the school, which continued to deny its application as of 2023, according to published reports.

New Ways Ministry – a Catholic organization that has been working for decades to build a bridge between the LGBTQIA community and the Catholic Church – only lists Georgetown University in its catalog of LGBTQIA-friendly Catholic colleges and universities in the District of Columbia.

Members of Trinity’s Campus Ministry are bewildered as to why New Ways Ministry has not included Trinity on its list of LGBTQIA-friendly Catholic colleges and universities.

Notre Dame Sister Ann Howard, director of Trinity’s Campus Ministry, has been closely watching the “Synod on Synodality” sessions taking place at the Vatican this month, a summit called by Pope Francis to openly discuss a range of issues, including the possibility of the church’s ministries being expanded to include LGBTQ persons.

Sister Ann also said the East-West Province of her religious order, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur – the same religious order that founded Trinity Washington University in 1897 – is “working diligently to write a statement honoring the lives of our students in high schools and supporting people who identify within the LGBTQ+ spectrum. These times call for openness and respect for people, young and old.”

There has been a growing movement within many religions to be more LGBTQ inclusive, but those debates continue to shine a light on the struggle within communities of faith, as is evidence by the current debate going on in the October sessions of the “Synod on Synodality” at the Vatican.

“I grew up in a household that was not very accepting of people who are not heterosexual,” Wood said. “That was not a conversation that I had when I was younger, and it was kind of brushed off. It took me a while before I realized that there are other options, and it took a lot of self-exploration, and it definitely took time for me to realize what I was not exposed to when I was younger.”

Exposure to the LGBTQIA community also provided Vinogradov with better self-acceptance and believes having a group at Trinity could provide the same for others.

“We have a really diverse group and it’s everywhere, and we currently do not have any representation in that front,” Vinogradov said of Trinity. “I think a group, or a committee, would be a fantastic opportunity for us to really immerse ourselves in the community.”

The battle for LGTBQIA rights in America can be traced to the 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York City’s Greenwich Village, a clash between gay men and the police, sparking the modern-day gay-rights movement.  

That movement is credited for a shift in societal attitudes that allowed more people to openly identify as LGBTQIA, led to a host of legal protections throughout the decades and the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges that legalized same-sex marriage throughout the nation.

LGBTQIA-rights advocates have said those changes could have only come about with broader acceptance an exposure to the masses, but stress that more is needed.

A recognized LGBTQIA student group at Trinity could be an important part of continuing that kind of acceptance momentum, said Trinity student Lillie Warner, who identifies as pansexual, meaning attraction is not gender specific. “I define as, I like hearts, not parts. Not for what they have or whatever gender they identify (themselves) as.”

A student club organization can provide a safe environment on campus for people who may otherwise be surrounded by negativity about their identity, Warner said.

That safe space falls in line with Trinity’s history, Gerlach said.

“I believe that Trinity is a welcoming environment for all students,” she said, “and as a university founded to promote equity for women in education as a fundamental mission, and rooted in the Catholic tradition of social justice, Trinity aims to strengthen its ability to enroll and support all our students.”