Sheyenne Brewer, a sophomore sociology major at Kent State Stark, values the LGBTQ community and the welcoming atmosphere of Kent’s main campus.

Brewer started at the Kent campus her freshman year, but transferred to Stark after feeling overwhelmed by the size of the student body.

Even though Brewer takes classes at Stark, she still spends a lot of time on Kent campus to visit her girlfriend and attend LGBTQ events such as That Gay 5k.

“I just think Kent is an awesome place to go if you’re a queer student,” Brewer said.

Brewer initially came out as bisexual, but she felt like she outgrew the term after meeting her current girlfriend. She now identifies as queer, meaning she finds anyone attractive, regardless of their gender or sexuality.

“I kind of just felt like bisexual didn’t fit me anymore,” Brewer said. “There’s plenty of other genders besides just male and female, so I hated to exclude those people.”

Brewer believes in the importance of interacting with, and understanding different types of people from different backgrounds.

“We need to recognize how many different types of people there are in the world and put in perspective our own lives and our own culture and community,” Brewer said. “Some people are so sheltered, and they try to run from diversity.”

Generally, Brewer said she feels accepted on both Stark and Kent campuses. However, she has felt uncomfortable in certain places off campus because of her sexual orientation.  

Instead of avoiding these places, Brewer said she embraces them.

“I hope I offend somebody and their bigotry,” Brewer said. “I’m here and I exist. I’m sorry, you’re just gonna have to deal with it.”

Brewer said the election of President Donald Trump has brought about a lot of polarization around LGBTQ issues.

“I try to understand everybody’s points of view,” Brewer said. “But if you don’t accept gay people, at that point it’s just bigotry.”

Brewer said she fears that Trump might enact harmful anti-LGBTQ policies, including a reversal of the legalization of same-sex marriage.

“I definitely feel like this administration is not good for queer people,” Brewer said.

Despite current political rhetoric around the country, Brewer said Kent is a progressive campus.

“There is definitely hate around this campus that has shown its face, but for the most part it is very welcoming,” Brewer said. “There are always groups that will be like, ‘here’s a place that you can go if you need to talk to anybody, see anybody, feel safe.’”

Carrie George is the is the administration and diversity reporter. Contact her at [email protected].