In response to the Supreme Court’s approval of President Donald Trump’s transgender military ban on Jan. 22, Loyola’s Gender and Sexuality Studies Club took an artistic approach in regards to their resistance.  In collaboration with The LGBTQ+ Experience, a relatively new club dedicated to shining a light on the experiences of the LGBTQ+ community on campus, the members of the clubs created a banner display on Jan. 31, to be viewed and interacted with by the Loyola community at large.

The banner, decked in the transgender community’s colors–white, pink, and blue–is made complete by the Post-It notes circling the center in which the words “149,000 people are affected by the trans military ban” are emboldened. Those present at the meeting wrote their words of anger, sadness, and reassurance on the notes, encapsulating the most heavily-felt emotions in the wake of the ban.

“We wanted to show a rally of support, especially in these times that trans students might not feel welcome on campus,” said Louisa Has ‘19, co-vice president of Gender and Sexuality Studies Club. With the banner being hung in Boulder Atrium, surrounded by additional posters with words of reassurance, the group is hoping that not only will Loyola’s transgender community feel safe on campus, but the rest of the student body will show their support as well.

Many students involved in the club initially joined in response to restrictions placed on the transgender community by the Trump administration earlier this year. “[The restrictions] put very large concerns on many people in the community, including me. I know the campus is small, but no matter who hears, it’s valuable,” said Jarek Azim ‘22, a member of Gender and Sexuality Studies Club.

Regardless of political affiliations, both Gender and Sexuality Studies Club and The LGBTQ+ Experience are hoping that increasing the visibility of this ban conjures up support for the transgender community from a wide array of people. While the two groups hope to further educate Loyola’s campus on the experiences of the LGBTQ+ community in addition to fostering empathy for their struggles, the banner, noted by Azim, is a step in the right direction.

“This shouldn’t just fly under the radar,” said Delani Pecchioli ‘19, president of Gender and Sexuality Studies Club. “This is a really important issue that the student body should know about and should care about.”

Featured Image: Courtesy of Greyhound News