Indiana University’s LGBTQ+ Culture Center is celebrating 30 years Friday.
The center, founded in 1994 and headed by former director Doug Bauder, is led by current director Bruce Smail. Kristen Lucas, the center’s administrative generalist coordinator, said community members can expect “a big birthday party” Friday at 5:30 p.m. for the center, located at 705 E Seventh St.
The center will offer refreshments and cake, and Lucas said to expect speeches from staff.
Lucas said while queerness is more accepted today than in 1994, and the current climate looks different, there’s still a need for people to come together in a safe space.
“To know that there is a space that exists, that primarily exists for somebody's queer joy is huge,” Lucas said. “To me, no matter what year it is, it's always going to be the focus of any type of queer community space.”
The LGBTQ+ Cultural Center was previously known as the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Student Support Services office until 2017, according to university archives. “Serious discussions” of adding a campus center for gay and lesbians began in the 1980s, and the center opened in 1994 “amidst both support and controversy.”
Read more: Free, student-led LGBTQ+ clinic to open in Bloomington
Today, Lucas said the center focuses on intersectionality and cross-cultural programs. They said the center’s staff already partnered with other cultural centers on campus, so it made sense to create spaces for people with multiple identities. That way, Lucas said, each community won’t feel isolated.
“We're going to keep building it and building it, building it,” Lucas said. “I think that that is something that we're really excited about doing, just continually building that program to reach more folks so they feel like they belong at more than just one place.”
The celebration follows the LGBTQ+ Cultural Center’s grand re-opening this fall, which revamped and added to the center’s facilities. According to the Indiana Daily Student, the LGBTQ+ Cultural Center raised about $225,000 for renovations and earned a grant from the IU Queer Philanthropy Circle.
Today, the center has a renovated lounge, a new counseling and HIV testing room and an enhanced LGBTQ+ library. Lucas said students are always welcome to hang out or host a program at the center.
Lucas highlighted the center’s Gender Affirming Closet. It’s a program that offers free, donated clothing to help students align their clothing with their gender identity.
“My favorite part of my job is working with students and doing the programs that students want to do,” Lucas said. “If you have an idea for a program that you would like to see happen, you can talk to us about that, and more often or not, it will happen.”
Aubrey is our higher education reporter and a Report For America corps member. Contact her at aubmwrig@iu.edu or follow her on X @aubreymwright .
