Messages of belonging and gender expression filled the LGBTQ+ Center Wednesday at its Q’ommunity event, a social group for queer students.

As part of the group’s second meeting of the semester, students enjoyed pizza and were able to meet new people while student interns led a discussion on the LGBTQ+ community’s connection to tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs).

Emma Rosberil, a junior psychology major, said they discovered the group last year and have found a sense of belonging at the center.

“This is my favorite group on campus,” Rosberil said. “I was really looking forward to a community of more queer people. I learned how to come here through a club fair and I’ve been going to the meetings ever since.”

While sharing experiences of playing TTRPG games, which are played around a table or online, students expressed how they helped explore their own gender expressions and sexualities.

“It was the first time I was ever given the opportunity to know that how I present myself doesn’t necessarily have to be the way that I present myself,” Rosberil said. “So, with pronouns or gender expression, there’s ways to explore it. I played one of my first nonbinary characters through Dungeons and Dragons, and that was how I learned to discover that she/her is just not for me.”

Other students said they were able to build communities and express themselves through games like “Monster Hearts” and “Alice is Missing.”

Ken Ditlevson, director of the LGBTQ+ Center, said the Q’ommunity events are designed to help students build friendships, form connections and discuss relevant topics. Another social group, Queer and Trans People of Color, hosts closed meetings for LGBTQ+ students of color.

“We really want to make sure all of our students have friends and people they can find support from, and that’s what both of those groups intend to do,” Ditlevson said.

Student interns play a major role in the center’s events and activities, and Ditlevson said they’re looking for new students each semester.

“We accept student interns every semester so they can really help us with the mission of the center, and so our interns really lead our groups and lead our programs,” Ditlevson said.

Haleigh Ketler, the center’s graduate assistant, said the Q’ommunity meetings allow students to form relationships and learn from each other’s experiences.

“It’s very discussion-based,” Ketler said. “So, we want the students to interact with one another and talk without it being super educational, but we also want to provide them with something to take home and take outside to share with a group of other people.”

Rosberil said the LGBTQ+ Center’s resources and events for students, staff and families help people to be seen and heard.

“The center is amazing,” Rosberil said. “The amount of resources that it has is so helpful to the school. I show up here just to eat lunch because it’s just a great place to be around people like you and not feel judged for it, and it’s a great opportunity to make new friends.”

The LGBTQ+ Center holds Q’ommunity meetings bi-weekly on Wednesdays from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the lower level of the Student Center.

Aden Graves is co-opinion editor. Contact him at [email protected].