St. Thomas University students will now be able to put reminders of Christmases spent with not-so-understanding families to good use.
Erin Fredericks, LGBTQIA+ resource advisor, and the Queer & Allied People Society will be hosting an unwanted gift exchange. Students, staff and faculty can drop off presents they got over the holiday season that were not a good fit for them, and, at the end of the exchange, the hosts will set up a free store where people can pick the gifts they like.
Fredericks said people don’t have donate a gift to be able to “shop” at the store. She said this is a way to turn an unpleasant yet common experience for queer and trans people into “a more fun experience.”
“It was inspired by the fact that for members of the queer and trans community the holiday can be a difficult time because a lot of people aren’t fully recognized or visible to their families of origin, so they’re going home to places maybe where people aren’t as supportive of their gender identity or gender expression or sexual orientation,” Fredericks said.
“One of the very practical ways that plays out over the holidays is getting gifts that are just completely not a good fit for who the person is.”
Fredericks said when she was young her grandmother bought her things with kittens on them, or pink things, and she liked neither. But she said there is a difference between that experience and what members of the LGBTQ community experience.
“There is a difference between getting a present that doesn’t reflect something that you like, and getting a present that makes who you are as a person invisible … It can be a symbol of something much larger.”
Fredericks said this event is open to everyone at St. Thomas even if they don’t belong to the LGBTQ community.
“I think it’s going to be a fun opportunity for people to get together.”
Olivier Hébert is one of the executive members at the Q&A. They said this fulfills a need many STU students have.
“My experience of the queer community at STU is people want to help each other out, and definitely lean on each other for support, so I think this will represent that as well.”
The donation box will be outside Fredericks’ office at Edmund Casey Hall office number 336 from Jan. 5 to Jan. 19. The shop will take place on Jan. 20 in a yet-to-be-determined room. Fredericks said unclaimed items will be donated to a local charity.
