At home in a new home, LGBTQIA+ students settle into expanded Gender and Sexuality Resource Center

The instructions for Northwestern students contributing ideas for the University’s new Gender and Sexuality Resource Center (GSRC) were simple.

“Dream big,” Matt Abtahi, director of the GSRC, told students. “And let’s see what we can do.”

Each element of the GSRC reflects the needs of the Northwestern LGBTQIA+ student population that the center has served in the two decades since its founding.

Located on the first floor of House Five in the Foster-Walker Complex, it includes a range of elements pulled right from student feedback, like McCormick senior Rachel Ruddy’s idea for a gallery wall showcasing student artwork.

SESP senior Hannah Travali-Peacock also weighed in on the blueprints for the new space, requesting that the GSRC have room for students to study, gather and host events. Another important student request: At least one of the center’s reservable spaces will always be open for any student who needs it.

“The challenge for us was determining what makes the most sense for the students,” Abtahi said. “Whether it was movie nights, book talks, crafting nights, exec meetings for student organizations — a lot of that was not possible in the old GSRC space.”

Student advocacy has long shaped the GSRC. Its first iteration, known as the LGBT Center, opened in 2004 on the third floor of the Norris University Center after students passed ASG legislation for a permanent space to serve Northwestern’s queer community. A few years later, another student-helmed initiative led the University to hire a full-time staff member for the center.

“It’s special for me to see this project, something I’ve been working on since my freshman year, come to fruition now that I’m a senior,” Travali-Peacock said. “I have friends who have said that the sense of community in the GSRC makes them feel safe. It means a lot to have an accessible space on campus where people can gather, study and have fun.”

The biggest difference inside the new GSRC is the size of the space. The Foster-Walker center is approximately three times larger than the previous location in Norris.

That increase in square footage further positions the GSRC as a hub for campus life and a home for student organizations, like Rainbow Alliance, an LGBTQIA+ registered student organization.

Members of Rainbow Alliance, like Travali-Peacock and Ruddy, have spent their time in college working to build community alongside Northwestern’s queer students. Instead of hosting events at different locations around campus, student groups now have a dedicated home for programming that enriches the LGBTQIA+ experience at Northwestern.

It’s about knowing that this is a space where I’m not just allowed to be — but meant to be.”

“It’s a very warm, welcoming environment. There are so many resources for students like me or students not like me to use,” Ruddy said. “Even though it’s my senior year, and I only get so much time to enjoy this new space, I’m so glad I got to witness it before I graduated.”

The GSRC has already hosted student groups, programming designed for LGBTQIA+ members of the Northwestern community and served as a drop-in space for students to study and hang out.  Just last month, the GSRC hosted a watch party for the popular MTV show “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” and there are weekly “Tuesday Tea” drop-in sessions for students looking to learn more about navigating LGBTQIA+ resources at Northwestern and across the Chicago area.

From the student artwork on the walls to a Keith Haring-inspired rug beneath the expanded GSRC library, there are plenty of touches that make the new GSRC stand out.

Beyond the physical space, for students like Ruddy, it’s what the GSRC stands for that’s most important.

“It feels very welcoming and exciting,” Ruddy said. “But more than anything, it’s about knowing that this is a space where I’m not just allowed to be — but meant to be.”

Austin Siegel is a writer in the Division of Student Affairs.