Among the predominantly white environment of the LGBTQIA+ community at Iowa State, queer and transgender people of color (QTPoC) face a unique set of experiences and forms of discrimination.

“As QTPoC, we have to navigate structural racism as well as homophobia and transphobia,” Rosie Rowe, one of the founders of the QTPoC initiative on campus, said.

To find others with similar intersecting identities, a QTPoC initiative was founded to create spaces for queer and trans people of color on campus. Monthly dinners became one way to gather community together and socialize.

The first QTPoC dinner of the school year will be  5 p.m. Friday at Sloss House.

“The QTPoC dinners are community dinners for students, faculty and staff,” said Ruxandra Marcu, director of Margaret Sloss Center for Women and Gender Equity. “All who identify as queer and trans people of color are welcome.”

QTPoC dinners occur on the second Friday of every month. This year, the dinners will be sponsored by the Margaret Sloss Center for Women and Gender Equity, the Center for LGBTQIA+ Student Success and the Office for Multicultural Affairs in collaboration with Rosie Rowe, the founder of QTPoC events on campus.

A student who wishes to remain anonymous shares that they were originally concerned about participating due to not being out to their family. The student found that QTPoC monthly dinners create a safe and supportive environment, regardless of being out to family or people back home.

“I’ve definitely gotten a little more comfortable in my skin and identity, regardless of what it’s like at home,” the anonymous student said. “It’s nice because you get to hear peoples’ experiences, make friends and just have a little space where you can truly be yourself and not be afraid of judgment and of being ridiculed by others.”

To learn more about upcoming events and dinners, contact [email protected] to be added to the Listserv to receive emails.

Students can also subscribe to Sloss Center’s monthly newsletter for more information on upcoming events.