Student Spotlight: Blair Smith, UVA ‘21
Happy Pride Month to all of our prospective LGBTQ+ students and allies! We recently caught up with Blair Smith, the current president of the Queer Student Union, to chat about resources for Queer students on grounds.
Getting to Know Blair
Blair is a fourth-year student studying Spanish and Political & Social Thought. He got involved with LGBTQ+ advocacy during his senior year of high school, when he founded a gender-sexuality alliance. During his second year, he was the Operations Intern for UVA’s LGBTQ Center and became involved in organizing efforts through his work coordinating the Center’s volunteers. Blair joined the executive board of the Queer Student Union at UVA during his third year, when he served as the Union’s Vice President of Education. He is excited to welcome incoming students into the QSU chosen family this coming year, when he will serve as the group’s president. His favorite LGBTQ+ focused events at UVA include Drag Bingo (which is exactly what it sounds like), and a twice-monthly “Queer Brunch” series that the LGBTQ Center hosts.
Blair also enjoys choral singing, and is a member of the UVA University Singers and Chamber Singers ensembles. He is a zealous tea drinker, tiny house fan, and owner of two beautiful dachshunds. If you’d like to chat about anything related to LGBTQ student life, cozy study spots, or life generally, feel free to email him at bas6hc@virginia.edu.
LGBTQ+ Life on Grounds
Blair recently led a session for prospective and incoming students about LGBTQ+ life on grounds. Here are some commonly asked questions, with links to resources embedded in Blair’s answers.
Q: Do you feel like the student body is inclusive towards queer individuals?
A: Generally yes! Most of us have found affirming friends and communities, through our roommates, classes, extracurricular activities, and from various LGBTQ+ centered programming. UVA is a pretty big school, so there are affirming spaces all around.
Q: How do you meet other LGBTQ+ students, and are there spaces where LGBTQ+ student frequently hang out?
A: There are tons of opportunities to meet other queer and trans folx. The LGBTQ Center (located on central grounds) is the main hub for LGBTQ+ student connections. People go there to study, attend fun events like the twice-monthly Queer Brunch, and get connected to resources across grounds. There are several LGBTQ+ focused organizations, like the Queer Student Union, oSTEM (Out in STEM), SOR (queer and gender-inclusive fraternity), qRN (the LGBTQ+ affinity group for nurses), HISE (Hoos for Inclusive Sexual Education), Plus at UVA (a Christian bible study group for LGBTQ+ folx), and Q* Anthology (the LGBTQ+ literature magazine). You'll also meet plenty of LGBTQ+ folx in residence halls, classes, and most organizations that you join.
Q: Are there opportunities to get involved in activism or volunteer with LGBTQ+ affirming efforts?
A: Several student groups lead activist efforts. QSU typically coordinates 1 to 2 activist initiatives a semester, including gender-inclusive housing for first year students and reduced costs for STI testing in Student Health. Three of the larger activist organizations on grounds are UVA Students United, the Virginia Student Environmental Coalition, and the Living Wage Campaign at UVA. The LGBTQ Center also has a volunteer program, where students sit at the front desk for one hour a week to answer questions and connect people to resources. Volunteers also participate in larger initiatives within the Center, and participate in educational in-services. You can also apply to intern in the UVA LGBTQ Center and coordinate programs and initiatives with all of the Multicultural Student Service interns and professional staff members.
Q: How are professors and other students about respecting pronouns?
A: It depends on the professor / the student. Generally people are good about using correct pronouns, and there is a growing trend in organizations encouraging members to introduce themselves with their pronouns. The Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights (EOCR) organizes campaigns every year on International Pronouns Awareness Day, and recently added information about pronouns on their website. Staff members in the EOCR and the LGBTQ Center can support students in approaching professors about incorrect pronoun use.
Q: What are housing options for first years?
A: Incoming first year students can work with Housing and Residence Life to arrange affirming housing accommodations on a case-by-case basis the blurb on the LGBTQ Center's webpage reads: "Students with unique concerns, or first year students interested in Open Housing, who would like to receive information about all options available in on-grounds housing, should contact the Assistant Director of Assignments, Countess Hughes, at cmh8sc@virginia.edu or 434-924-3314 for support and assistance." Often, students can request to live in a single room with a private restroom if desired. You do not need to disclose your gender identity, seuxual orientation, or romantic orientation to receive these accommodations. There are also a number of residential colleges, including the International Residential College, Hereford, and Brown College. Many queer students live in these residential colleges, as well as traditional housing options.
Q: What kinds of LGBTQ+ specific events happen on grounds?
A: Every year, the LGBTQ Center hosts workshops, social events, and large campaigns. Some of the larger events include the National Coming Out Day Celebration in October, the Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigil in November, the "Love is..." Valentine's Day t-shirt campaign. The QCenter also coordinates weekly dialogues for ace and aro folx, trans* and GNC folx, and Queer and Trans People of Color. The Queer Student Union organizes Drag Bingo events, and Hoos for Inclusive Sexual Education organizes a "Sex-Ed Progressive" on the lawn once a semester. There are also a number of queer parties that happen every semester, including "Hallowqueer" on the lawn, GLOzet at Crozet (a bar on the corner), and parties hosted by various students.
Q: What is like to be a queer person who holds intersecting identities? What does diversity look like within the LGBTQ+ community at UVA?
A: Some organizations inadvertently emphasize one facet of social identity, and folx who hold intersecting identities sometimes bear the burden of representation. Queer organizations often have a majority white membership, and cultural organizations often have majority straight memberships. That being said, there are still several events that center intersecting identities, including QSU's "Multicultural Dinner Dialogues," and collaborations that happen between cultural organizations. The LGBTQ Center introduced a Queer and Trans People of Color twice-monthly dialogue, and there are often social events specifically for QTPOC.
Q: What are some mental health resources at UVA?
A: Counseling and Psychological Services is the counseling service offered through Student Health. Students can receive multiple sessions of counseling, and there are also walk-in hours for brief counseling throughout the week. The Women's Center also provides counseling services for people of all identities, as well as wellness-centered programs and events. The Contemplative Sciences Center offers free yoga, meditations, and t'ai-chi throughout the week.
One additional resource that presents information relevant to trans and gender-diverse students is the LGBTQ center’s FAQ page: https://lgbtq.virginia.edu/faq. In addition, feel free to follow QSU on Instagram and Facebook, the LGBTQ Center on Instagram and Facebook, and Multicultural Student Services on Instagram and Facebook. You can also check out the Q* Anthology's recently released edition here!
Again, Blair’s email is bas6hc@virginia.edu. You can also find him at qsu-exec@virginia.edu. We encourage you all to reach out anytime to learn more about LGBTQ life at UVA!
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