At the same time as Johns Hopkins University’s 150th year anniversary, the university’s oldest queer organization on campus, the Diverse Gender and Sexuality Alliance (DSAGA) celebrated its 40th anniversary. This past year, I’ve had the privilege of serving, first, as DSAGA’s Secretary, and now, as one of the Co-Presidents. Most importantly, I have found a family in DSAGA.
Apart from the fall Student Involvement Fair (SIF), my first experience with DSAGA was its annual welcome picnic. I was making ‘organization rounds,’ which is what I have come to think of the first-year scramble to try out any and every club that you think you may enjoy. Twenty-minutes into the picnic, I was melting in the heat and had no idea what to say to anyone. I was two seconds from making a run for it when one of the Co-Presidents—who, unbeknownst to me then, would become one of my closest friends—struck up a conversation with me. Even my anxiety at a ten, his laid-back demeanor almost immediately calmed me. We didn’t talk about anything substantial. What I remember most was talking about his piercings and asking for shop recommendations. Even so, that conversation made me feel less out of place and made me want to go to more DSAGA events.
My second experience with DSAGA was at the first General Body Meeting (GBM) of the semester. Much less nerve-wracking than the picnic, at the GBM there were discussion questions for everyone to get to know one another. Although everyone starts off a little unsure, looking around to see if anyone is going to speak first, soon the conversation is in full swing. The first meeting was fun—I even saw people I knew from my Introduction to Women, Gender, and Sexuality class, one of whom would eventually go on to be our April Awareness Coordinator. I knew I would definitely be attending the next one. And the next. And the next. Until DSAGA became a part of my Monday-night schedule. It was a comfortable place to exist without the worry of judgment.
The concept of a queer club in general was relatively new to me. I discovered it only after searching “best colleges for lgbtq+ students,” the summer before my senior year of high school. I had no idea what to expect joining DSAGA. For reference, these were a few of our GBM topics over the past year: Diversity in STEM, Professionalism and the Workplace, Queer Mythology, Album Review, Informal Presentations, Lino Cut Art Night, and Queer Trivia. And then there were events like Ga(y)me nights, ThanksGayving, and more recently, a drag performance in partnership with the University of Maryland’s Haus of Terp. All that to say, DSAGA is a lot of fun.
I have also learned more in and through DSAGA than I have in some courses. For instance, on December 6, in partnership with JHU’s Alpha Phi Alpha and Sigma Gamma Rho, as well as Morgan State University’s HBCU SOUL, DSAGA held its annual World AIDS Day celebration. It was a chance to discuss the social and medical history of AIDS and HIV and the experience of those who contracted the virus. We heard from individuals who lived with or had firsthand experiences with HIV and AIDS. Our keynote speaker for the night was Dr. David Griffith, an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, who spoke on the developments in the treatment of HIV.
Over the course of the year, we have had more awareness and educational events. In February we hosted a presentation event and workshop on the Legacies of Queer Black Feminists. Throughout April Awareness—DSAGA’s pride month celebration since many students are off campus for summer break in June—we celebrated queerness and the intersectionality of queer identity with events like: Crip Time Poetry Workshop: On Queer Disabled Poets, Two Spirit Life & Wild Rice: Indigeneity & Queerness, and Stories & Sips: Queerness in Asian Cultures. We also had the author of “Hijab Butch Blues,” Lamya H., zoom in to speak about her book.
In addition to the knowledge I gained, I made so many valuable connections through DSAGA. When I need some advice or just want someone to grab a bite with, I know I can count on the current and past DSAGA executive board. Late nights folding and cutting zines for events morphed into coming over for chai at eight and then chatting until twelve, taking trail walks after a hard day, locking in together at Red Emma’s, ubering to art markets—the list goes on.
This past year at Hopkins I am most grateful for the bonds I have forged and so many of those I have made in DSAGA. It has truly been the highlight of my first year. I can’t wait to get back on campus to make more memories! What you put in is what you get out, so I encourage you all to enter Hopkins open and ready to explore and engage. The communities you find will be well worth the effort.
