St. Thomas University has a plethora of student clubs and societies to choose from, whether it be the Irish Society, the Mental Health Society, or STU International Students’ Association.
However, this year, one seems to be missing.
There is currently no club or society for 2SLGBTQ+ students at STU. This absence is a new development following the end of STU’s Drop-In Centre at the beginning of September, which was run by Equality NB Co-Chair Gail Costello.
“The fact that we don’t have anything is upsetting,” said student Emmanuelle Jackson. “It’s really important to make sure that everyone feels safe and protected here as much as possible.”
Previously, STU had a Queer and Allies Society (Q&A), but it has been inactive since 2022. When Jackson came to STU in 2021 the Q&A was partially active, but by the time they wanted to get involved it wasn’t there anymore
The Drop-In Centre took over for the 2023-24 school year which Jackson took part in alongside her role on the student council as the sexuality and gender diversity representative. They said having that safe space in the Drop-In Centre was important for them as a queer student.
“I don’t know if I was shocked necessarily, but I was disappointed,” Jackson said when they found out about the centre ending. “It made me upset. I was like, ‘we should have that resource.’”
Over the last few years, Jackson has been involved with Fierte Fredericton Pride, a local not-for-profit corporation focused on advocating and celebrating 2SLGBTQ+ people. They are now the co-chair.
Through all their work, Jackson’s main goal is for queer people, especially students, to feel as safe as possible — which is why 2SLGBTQ+ clubs are so crucial, they said, especially with the recent anti-trans flyers circulating.
Related: ‘It’s just disgusting’: anti-trans flyers mailed to New Brunswickers
“Having that safe space, somewhere to vent about it, somewhere to just get together and not focus on it for a second, is really important,” they said. “It’s a place for kids to express themselves and feel safe in a spot, even if they feel safe nowhere else.”
Although there is an on-campus resource for all students – the 203 Centre – Jackson said for some, it is difficult to get to the Student Union Building accessibility-wise.
First-year student Jinx Adair echoed similar concerns, as they suffer with knee problems and find it difficult to walk long distances.
“It might not be long for most people, but for me, walking to the student union building takes up a lot of energy. It’s very painful,” he said.
Adair is from Saint John, where he said finding community was ‘rather hard,’ compared to STU, where he was paired with a roommate that is also non-binary and met many queer students at the Pride Picnic held on campus in the first week.
“It’s a lot more open,” said Adair. “So it’s definitely easier to find people similar or like-minded identities, which is really nice.”
Despite the welcoming community, Adair said there would be benefits to having a 2SLGTBQ+ club or society on campus, especially for advocacy purposes.
“If something’s going on in campus, you can have a group of people that can change that by saying, ‘hey, this isn’t right,’ and it being multiple voices instead of just one,” they said.
“Multiple voices are more powerful than just one.”
First-year student Darby Welton agreed that having an organized space for a like-minded community would be helpful, not just for advocacy but also for meeting new people and older students that could provide guidance with school and school work.
They described the current absence of a 2SLGBTQ+ club or society at STU as ‘unfortunate.’
“It would just add an extra layer of support,” they said. “I just feel like it’s strange that there aren’t any clubs or societies, since there’s so many people who want to get together.”
The large queer student population at STU is a reason why Jackson said creating a club should be a priority. They hope to spark up something for students on campus; as a Bachelor of Social Work student, they said they may not have time.
In the meantime, STU students interested in being apart of a 2SLGBTQ+ club on campus will simply have to go without.
“It’s really unfortunate that those resources aren’t there anymore,” said Jackson. “That feeling of safety and community, I find that those two are very important to have.”
