A unique LGBTQ housing option helps some OHIO students find safety and community 

As Audrey Ansel prepared to arrive as a first-year bet8九州登录入口 student in Fall 2022, she wondered where (and whether) she would find friends, and how she would fit in with her new surroundings. As an LGBTQ student venturing 500 miles from her North Carolina home, those concerns felt all the more pressing — especially at a moment when national discourse around LGBTQ rights and regulations from high school sports to public restrooms is inflamed and unsettled.

“I knew that I wanted to feel safe and accepted wherever I ended up living, especially since I was moving here all the way from North Carolina,”她说。. “大学新生的压力已经够大了.”

Rather than opt for a more traditional residence hall living arrangement, Ansel decided to give OHIO’s LGBTQ Experiential Living Opportunity, 或值得信赖, 一试. OHIO’s ELOs (one of the relatively new Expanded Gender Inclusive housing options) are unique residential environments centered around a common set of values or ideals, and designed to foster growth and development through targeted programmatic and staff-supported efforts that provide students a space where they feel free to be themselves while giving and getting support from their peers. Only students who self-select into and agree to abide by the community rules live in an ELO – in other words, only students who explicitly request to be in a specific ELO are housed there.

LGBTQ ELO, located in Hoover House on OHIO’s South Green, 哪里有女同性恋, 同性恋, 双性恋, 变性人, 盟友, 酷儿等人.) identifying students can feel safe and supported in their living environment regardless of their gender identity, 性别表达, 和/或性取向. (然而, it’s important to note that this is only one housing option: Many LGBTQ students at OHIO opt for traditional residence halls or other ELOs, such as the Substance Free hall or academic discipline-concentrated living experiences, 比如美术ELO.

Programming within the ELO immerses residents in LGBTQ issues and LGBTQ community engagement, while also focusing on the interests of the residents, while the mod-style layout encourages a close and open community.

That’s a big draw for students who may feel nervous about feeling accepted or welcomed for who they are. As fellow first-year LGBTQ ELO participant Ray Olin (who uses they/them pronouns) explained, “从一开始, 人们花时间在mod上. 总有事情可做, 可以一起出去玩的人, 可以倾诉的人, 还有一群人等着支持你. 我们玩得很开心, 几乎每天都举办电影之夜, 互相带免费的食物, 陪同对方参加活动和聚会, 玩游戏, 等. 总的来说，这是一次令人振奋的经历. I do not think I have ever had this many friends in my life, with so many people who are easy to talk to and connect with.”

像奥林, Gwen Feight (who uses she/her pronouns) chose the LGBTQ ELO in part because traditional women’s housing didn’t feel like a good fit. And like Olin, Hoover provided the welcoming community Feight sought.

“胡佛是一个很好的环境, and we do a lot of our own decorating to make the space reflect that,费特说。. “I spend a lot of my free time hanging out with folks in the [ELO]; we watch a lot of movies and TV together.”

First-year student Andy Colwell (who uses they/them pronouns) acknowledged that while interpersonal issues have occasionally arisen, 小组和工作人员努力解决这些问题.

“我喜欢胡佛，”他们说. “新来的人被当作一员来欢迎. We share food, clothes, and other things if one of us needs something. While we have had a few problems with some people, it has been solved and we have grown stronger bonds because of it.”

Second-year student Ezra Taylor (who uses he/they pronouns) returned to the ELO for a second year, and agreed that the relatively new housing and experiential option continues to learn and build year over year.

“My first year at Hoover was much different than my second,” he said. “第二年过得很好! People talk, hang out in the mod and make friends. 这对我的心理健康有好处!”

LGBTQ students are not a monolith, and not all opt for this housing option. Many LGBTQ students select traditional housing options or other ELOs, such as the Substance Free hall or academic discipline-concentrated living experiences 比如美术ELO. While some housing is gender-specific, all OHIO housing options welcome LGBTQ students.

现在她在俄亥俄的第一年快结束了, Ansel said the experience helped her make a more gentle and successful entry into college life.

“It has been very uplifting and encouraging to live in Hoover, 被其他LGBTQ学生包围,”她说。. “Hoover has given me the safety net I needed in order to fully embrace life at OU, and to fully embrace my identity…living in a community with others with similar experiences can be so helpful in the transition to college.”