Each October, LGBTQIA+ History Month honors the people and movements that created space for queer lives to exist freely in the U.S. That history is still being made today in moments big and small. Below, four LGBTQIA+ Tigers share where they find joy, how they built their communities and advice for fellow Tigers looking for their place at TU.

Finding safe spaces

Everyone wants to feel welcome. For folks in the LGBTQIA+ community, simple steps like asking pronouns can go a long way in creating a sense of belonging. That was the case for Cheyenne Caldwell ’27, who felt a weight lift when she went to her first Gender Blur meeting. The group is a sub-committee of the Queer Student Union (QSU) dedicated to students who are trans, non-binary, intersex and gender-questioning. 

“Immediately when I walked in, everybody was like, ‘Welcome. What’s your name? What are your pronouns?,’ Caldwell says. “Right then I knew I was in a good space.”

Knowing there were people who understand the things I go through—that was a really impactful experience.

Jonas Scheckler

Caldwell found her safe space in a student group. Assistant Director of Financial Well-Being Jonas Sheckler found his at his local PFLAG Center.

“Seeing other people outside of my very small community in high school and knowing there were people who understand the things I go through—that was a really impactful experience for me," Scheckler says.

Creating your community 

Life is better when you have friends to celebrate it with. QSU President Chloe Johnson found her community through a service opportunity. She answered an email about serving in the QSU and before she knew it, she had a group of like-minded friends with a shared purpose. 

"I met most of my friends now through the process of reviving the club," Johnson says.

[The Rainbow Lounge] gives us the chance to see each other, have conversations and develop friendships.

Cheyenne Caldwell ’27

QSU is now a thriving community offering events, support and connection for all LGBTQIA+ students. Many of the events take place in the University Union’s Rainbow Lounge, a safe space for LGBTQIA+ students to relax and connect on campus.

"[The Rainbow Lounge] gives us the chance to see each other, have conversations and develop friendships,” Caldwell says. 

The lounge is located in the University Union 351A and open from 7:30 a.m.–10:30 p.m. Sun.–Thurs. and 7:30 a.m.–10:30 p.m. Fri.–Sat.

Cultivating joy

Across TU, queer Tigers are cultivating joyful moments through purpose, self-expression and community celebration.

Let's not be afraid of being loud and taking up space. If we don't celebrate ourselves, who will?

Jonathan Montalvo Román

Jonathan Montalvo Román is the Latine student development coordinator in the Center for Student Diversity. Much of his work focuses on helping students who, like him, hold multiple intersecting identities. He finds deep joy in watching them find their place at TU.  Montalvo Román recently won the Maryland Legislative Latino Caucus' Hispanic Heritage Month Unity Award for his programs fostering belonging, growth and academic success among TU’s Latine community. Many of the programs incorporate something fun, which he says helps build connection with students.

“Sharing my joy with them and allowing them to share their moments of joy with me—that’s priceless,” Montalvo Román says.

He also gives himself a daily dose of joy through creative nail art. Whether painted black, dotted with polka dots or dipped in glitter, Montalvo Román’s nails are his form of self-expression—a great conversation starter and a way to show others that it’s okay to show up exactly as yourself. 

"Let's not be afraid of being loud and taking up space,” says Montalvo Román. “If we don't celebrate ourselves, who will?"