Being a member of the LGBTQ+ community can already be a complicated and intricate experience. When I was getting ready to head off to Penn State Harrisburg, I questioned what my time at college would be like as an out and proud lesbian. I was extremely lucky to have found my people with open, encouraging arms in the Sociology program.

As a queer individual, I am able to engage with sociological material from a different lens of experience than my straight peers and educators, and have always been met with encouragement and appreciation for my contribution to conversations about injustice. Although there is no LGBTQ+ sociology course, each of my professors are sure to include topics and discussions surrounding the queer community within their classes. Not only does this inclusion provide an opportunity for my peers to learn more about LGBTQ+ experiences, it offers gay, lesbian, transgender and other queer students a voice at the table. To be encouraged by faculty to explore queer topics and pursue academic areas of interest that are directly related to my identity is extremely rewarding.

As a result of this well fostered and diverse environment at Penn State Harrisburg, I was able to co-found an intersectional feminist club called WOMXN on campus as a way to create space for discussion surrounding social topics that affect a multitude of student identities. I can’t imagine a more fitting major at a more fitting campus for myself, as I know my lesbian identity plays a huge part in my deep passion for Sociology.

– Alyssa McLaughlin
Junior Sociology major and Women’s studies minor – Graduating Spring 2022
Treasurer and Co-founder of WOMXN