Club Spotlight: Queer Alliance

The John Cabot University Queer Alliance is a student-run organization that sets out to spread inclusion and acceptance on campus.

How many people in the Queer Community do you know? Here’s the truth: one's sexuality and/or gender can be an invisible identity. This means, you could know someone personally but not know that they are queer until they tell you. So, you probably know more queer people than you think! The LGBTQ+ community (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, etc.) is a celebration of beautiful, strong, and hopeful individuals who want (and deserve!) positive visibility, love, and - most of all - understanding. 

Our club members are either part of the LGBTQ+ community or one of our amazing allies! Both are equal and valued and important. Being part of the Queer Alliance does not depend on gender, sexuality, or any other part of one's identity. We view our members as individuals, and we value love, equality, and acceptance. JCU is such a unique, diverse, international community, and we aim to help make the university a welcoming and open-minded environment. Our main goal is to foster a supportive academic, professional, and personal environment for both degree-seeking and study abroad students attending JCU.

As a club, our students are dedicated to the three pillars that make our foundation:

• Building community: The Queer Alliance builds community by engaging students in various activities, events, and regular meetings. The club embraces the idea that interpersonal interaction is essential in the establishing of an open, accepting, and inclusive environment on campus that allows for the free expression of ideas and dialogue.
• Fostering understanding: The Queer Alliance serves as a forum for discussion and reflection through education and awareness of LGBTQ-related issues.
• Providing support: The Queer Alliance recognizes the need for safe spaces in which to share thoughts confidentially. Our club strives to ensure an open-door policy for discussion, to identify safe spaces, and to provide both University and outside resources that can aid students in feeling included and supported during their time at JCU and in Rome.

We hold monthly events such as discussions, movie screenings, parties, and workshops (i.e. our  Ally 101 Workshop). The Fall 2019 semester has been extremely successful so far. We started the semester with an initiative to implement and recognize Gender Inclusive Restrooms on campus and hosted our most successful event yet, our second annual Coming Out Party. There was great music and delicious food from a local LGBTQ-owned café in Trastevere. Our events are all about bringing people together to educate, discuss, and celebrate.

The JCU Queer Alliance strives to shine a light on this community of people who are so often in the dark. If we are quiet, we will not be heard, or worse: we will become invisible. Listen to your LGBTQ+ friends and family. Don’t speak for us, but please give us a chance to speak. We can learn from each other and start a dialogue. 

Whew! That was a lot of information. Guess what? We have barely scratched the surface! If you would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact us on our official Queer Alliance Instagram, @queeralliancejcu, or send us an email at queeralliance@johncabot.edu.

Micayla Mirabella, President of the Queer Alliance

Class of 2020

Communications Major/Humanistic Studies Minor

Hometown: Fanwood, New Jersey