Given some of the changes at Shawnee State University recently, including the departure of former Women’s and Gender Equity Center (WGEC) Director Christina Baker over the summer, LGBTQ+ and otherwise marginalized students have access to fewer sources of support than they had in the recent past. However, SSU’s Sexuality and Gender Acceptance (SAGA) club seeks to provide a “safe and inclusive space for everyone” wherein all identities are empowered and celebrated, according to Leo Barnhart (any pronouns), president of the organization.

“We stand for diversity, love and ally-ship,” Barnhart said.

The club’s tentative meeting schedule is 3 p.m. Mondays and 5 p.m. Thursdays in Morris University Center 215. Meeting times might change, but students interested in attending can contact Barnhart at  [email protected] to learn more about SAGA and get updated meeting schedules.

Shawnee State’s student body consists of a significant number of queer students, and Barnhart said a club like this is needed now more than ever due to the current political climate in the United States.

“Having an open club like this promoting love and acceptance … shows the student body that everyone is welcome and no one should feel alone in who they are,” they said. “It has a wide-reaching effect and creates great support systems.”

Barnhart has personally experienced the impact SAGA can have on club members.

“Long before I was running the club, I was a member who was just exploring my identity,” they said. “In SAGA, I’ve tried out pronouns and names, it’s helped me come out to my family with the members’ support and has let me make friends I wouldn’t have met outside of it.”

As president of SAGA, Barnhart is helping other people find the same space to explore their identities, find themselves and make friends who understand them. Within SAGA, LGBTQ+ students and allies are able to find people who are like-minded and supportive of their identities.

“It can be really hard to make friends on campus, especially as a queer student,” Barnhart said, drawing on their own experiences, “and having a space like this where people can be more open means a lot.”

In addition to SAGA, Barnhart identifies SSU’s Women’s Initiative for Strength and Empowerment (WISE) and The Transgender Coalition as organizations that provide that kind of openness and support. They said the presence of such clubs allows for more visibility, more conversation, more education and more acceptance on campus.

Barnhart encourages any SSU student seeking acceptance of their identity or even just “a space where we can all get away from the constant school pressures” to join a SAGA meeting or contact them for more information about the organization.