Harvard Queer Students and Allies (QSA)

Antonio Iglesias, class of 2010
Adams House, Earth and Planetary Sciences Concentrator

There are few things in life better than becoming comfortable with yourself.  As a gay, male student who once struggled with his sexual identity, the Harvard community, particularly, the Harvard Queer Students and Allies (QSA), aided in my personal transition from questioning and confused to confident and comfortable, and has become my second family.  The QSA creates a supportive community through celebrations of queer culture such as an annual drag night, dance/mixers, and guest speakers and discussion panels on the intersectionality between sexual orientation and other social constructions.

My transformation happened during freshman year.  Now a senior, I have been the treasurer of the QSA for the past two years.  As much as I have grown since my first year, more so have I seen the organization grow.  The main development I have seen is acknowledgment of the real need for inclusivity. In a society concerned with queer rights, the needs of gay and lesbian individuals tend to dominate the conversation, yet we know that there are also many other individuals who are questioning their sexual identities and seeking the comfort that I gained a few years ago   Thus, whether you identify as transgender, intersexual, bisexual, gender queer, (and the list goes on and on), the QSA strives to offer all of these different identities the resources and confidence to live happy, secure lives.

All in all, what I’ve enjoyed most about being a member of the QSA and Harvard in general is that I have never been a part of a more accepting community. This is not just limited to acceptance of another’s sexual identity, but acceptance of every individual for every facet of their identity.  Such an open environment truly promotes a healthy dialogue between students from astoundingly different backgrounds and encourages us to mature and become wiser people than we were when we first set foot on campus.