Nay or Gay: Spectrum talks queer legislation
By Grace Bertrand
AS some young voters head to polls for the first time, they may have questions surrounding what vote will be in theirs and their peers’ best interest.
In preparation for the upcoming election, Rider’s Spectrum Pride Alliance set out to inform and educate students on over 500 pieces of legislation affecting the LGBTQIA+ community as of 2023.
“I want people of the LGBTQ community to be more aware of what’s going on in the state but also know the positives,” said Spectrum Secretary Eden Nadella.
Spectrum’s event, “Queer Legislation,” kicked off Oct. 27 at 5 p.m. in Lynch Adler Hall to boost education on laws that affect the community.
Students discussed bills with negative and positive ramifications from states across the nation, including New Jersey and its recently launched statewide campaign, “No Hate in the Garden State.” The initiative raises public awareness about bias incidents and helps protect victims of bias crimes.
Spectrum also focused on bills that were passed or are still under revision from Texas, California, Florida, Tennessee, Ohio, Colorado and Montana.
Nadella, a sophomore political science major who uses they/them pronouns, hoped the event tackled issues the LGBTQIA+ community faces while still acknowledging the progress that has been made.
“For me, it’s better to make a change through highlighting the positive rather than highlighting the negative, especially within your own mind as a voter,” said Nadella.
Nadella also said they appreciate the initiatives Rider has taken in curating a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community. In the fall semester, Spectrum collaborated with multiple organizations on campus
for National Coming Out Day, including Greek Life, the Student Government Association, the National Eating Disorders Association and the Center for Diversity and Inclusion.
“I want students to understand that faculty do care and they do make an active effort,” said Nadella. “The administration is a whole separate thing from the faculty, and I think students forget that sometimes.”
In attendance at the event was Susan Ashbaker, director of Westminster Opera Theatre for Westminster Choir College, who was happy to see students of all communities get the conversation started about voting.
“To have the legislation front and center and to see what damage could be done to the queer community and to every community is frightening,” said Ashbaker. “These students are learning about the issues so that, when they go to vote, they can make choices based on knowledge.”
Ashbaker has also conducted training for the Rider SafeZone Program the past three years. The campuswide, voluntary program is designed to provide a safe and nondiscriminatory environment on campus for members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Although she is glad to see Rider taking steps in the right direction, Ashbaker said she hopes the university will soon make their SafeZone Program mandatory.
“My biggest hope for the DEI issues that we all face everywhere in the world is that our incoming university president embraces those as well,” said Ashbaker. “We need somebody who’s going to fight for us as a diverse community.”
Ashbaker said that, when conducting her SafeZone training, she finds it more important for students to learn how to be accepting even when they do not understand what it is like to walk a day in the shoes of a person of different race, gender or ethnicity.
“We’re all the same inside, and that’s the most important thing to remember,” said Ashbaker. “We all need to be treated with dignity and respect, no matter what our circumstances are, and that’s what I hope continues and builds at Rider.”
