Like many other private college institutions, Syracuse is often thought to be a fairly progressive university. However, these values of inclusion and acceptance don’t necessarily translate to the school’s social scene.

For Syracuse students within the LGBT community, fitting in can be harder than it seems, especially when it comes to the social scene. There is more that students on campuses like SU can do to make sure LGBT students feel at home in and out of the classroom.

SU graduate Cella Desharnais said aspects of the social scene at Syracuse sometimes felt exclusionary.

“I never really felt comfortable going to a frat party — bars either,” said Cella Desharnais. “If you go out with your girlfriend then you’re getting fetishized by men, you’re getting comments, you’re getting asked if someone can watch or join. You definitely feel ostracized.”

Many people within the queer community, not only women, find it difficult to have fun in places that are typically very heteronormative. And on a campus where Greek organizations are prominent, it can be even more difficult.

“It seems almost counterintuitive to be gay and also in Greek life because most of our social scene revolves around this very heteronormative structure,” said junior Cate Turner.

Without the ability to let loose comfortably at a frat party, LGBT students often turn to gay-friendly bars and clubs to seek refuge.

“There are two gay bars here, and they’re both not fantastic,” Desharnais said. “But you go there and you know you’re not gonna be the only gay one, so it’s a good time to go for that safe space or sense of comfort.”

Aside from LGBT-focused venues like Trexx and Wunderbar that exist off campus, there aren’t many other opportunities for LGBT people to socialize.

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Perhaps the lack of queer inclusive party spaces would make sense if the community reflected a lack of queerness, but that’s not the case.

“It’s definitely larger of a community than it seems,” Desharnais said. “It isn’t represented in the way that it should be according to population size.”

College Choice, a site meant to help students and their families research and compare colleges, ranks SU 35 nationally in regards to LGBT friendliness, citing the LGBT Resource Center’s Queer Kickbacks, HoliGay, LGBTQ+ Student Social and Cross Q Connections Discussion Group as noteworthy events that help encourage inclusion.

If SU’s LGBT campus resources are highly regarded, then why is it that LGBT people are still struggling to find a place within Syracuse’s social scene?

The answer can be attributed to a lack of conversation surrounding LGBT inclusion. And while the community within SU, and the greater American society, is definitely trying to advance the conversation, there are many ways in which we have fallen short.

“There is nothing put out about how to treat a queer couple in public. There’s no language about that,” Desharnais said. “So I think people just genuinely don’t know how to react to stuff like that that’s out of their comfort zone.”

From civil rights cases to sexual assault cases, we’ve seen time and time again how a lack of dialogue can damage a community. It is time that we learn from our mistakes and start a conversation that invites LGBT students into spaces they might not typically be comfortable in. The SU social scene should be open to all students, regardless of identity. SU students can start that progress by being more open-minded about the people they see at parties and by making sure all students feel comfortable having fun at Syracuse.

 Emily Cerrito is a junior television, radio and film major. Her column appears bi-weekly. You can reach her at ercerrit@syr.edu.

Published on October 16, 2019 at 11:12 pm