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Queer Gaels Connect!

 Saint Mary's College is listed by New Ways Ministries as one of the most LGBT friendly Catholic campuses in the country. We strive to offer a supportive, inclusive and nonjudgmental space for all members of the LGBTQIA community. We have collected resources on this page to showcase our community commitment and help us all connect with one another. Here is a helpful guide to navigating any college campus as a LGBTQIA person. 

 
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DLS

On-Campus Resources

 

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Map of GI bathrooms on campus

Que(e)ries

Que(e)ries is a subcommittee on campus that supports the LGBTQIA+ community on campus. The core working group consists of faculty, staff, and students ideally including campus offices and groups who are invested in initiatives supporting our charge. 

 

 

PRIDE Club

PRIDE is a student run club that meets at varying times throughout the year in Delphine Intercultural Center. To keep updated with meeting times or for more info, e-mail pride@stmarys-ca.edu, visit PRIDE (@smc_pride) • Instagram photos and videos.

 

 

 

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list of bathrooms

 

Gender Inclusive Housing

Saint Mary’s offers Gender Inclusive Housing available to all students at no additional cost. Students can live with anyone, regardless of gender identity, and can pick from spaces across multiple buildings and room types. It is the intention of Campus Housing to make room assignments on how you, the student, identify. There are also gender inclusive/gender neutral restrooms on campus. 

 

Chosen Name Policy

SMC also has a Chosen Name Policy for students. Click the link here or in the resource section of this page to get more information.

 

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QTL SMC Library Image
 

The Queer and Trans Lit Collection - Saint Albert Library

The Queer and Trans Lit Collection (QTL) on the second floor of the library was created with generous funding from the Que(e)ries Committee. The QTL collection, initially envisioned and curated by former faculty member Anna I. Corwin and librarian Molly June Roquet, continues to be supported and maintained by SMC librarians. It features queer and trans books from across our collection: adult fiction and nonfiction, young adult fiction and nonfiction, graphic novels, and picture books. It is meant to be a visible and easily accessible collection highlighting and supporting our LGBTQIA+ community. Additional LGBTQIA+ literature can be found throughout the stacks. Check out the Trans ebooks too!

Safe Spaces at SMC

Let us remember
The Mission and Ministry Center 

Carrie Davis – Director of the Mission and Ministry Center – cak6@stmarys-ca.edu: 

We have a lounge that is open to all people to study, rest, eat, and be in community. Grounded in the Lasallian 5 Core Principles, MMC staff members actively affirm the human dignity and sacredness of all persons.

SOLA/SOS Grad Operations Office

SOLA/SOS Grad Operations Office

The SOLA/SOS Grad Operations office always welcomes students (grad or undergrad) from across campus who are looking for a space to be authentic, open, and hang out.

We're a welcoming place always looking to support others however we can!

Dante 202

All three of us in the office (Alyssa Plummer, Ilana Baer, and Collin Skeen) are here and available.

Student Media Center Door

The Student Media Center in Sichel Hall is a study lounge and hybrid screening/editing lab available to all students.  

The lounge is open, but the space is a work in progress. Signage is forthcoming.

Jason Jakaitis, 415-238-2243

Saint Mary's Accounting Minor Classroom

Classes with significant LGBTQ+ content 

Human Sexualities - PSYCH333

Queer Theories - WGS 311

Comm 461: Communication & Social Justice: Drag (topic shifts but drag is every two years - 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2023, 2025)

Women in Sport - KINES 301

Gender & Religion in American CultureTRS 371

Histories of Women, Gender, Sexuality --WGS 201

Masculinities –WGS 312

Sample January Term classes:

  • J is for Justice: Early Childhood Books for a More Just World (2026)
  • Sex, Gender, Sexuality, & Sport (2022)
  • Protest, Parade, and Pop Music: How Arts Fuel Civil Liberties Movements (2020)
  • Hip-Hop & Queerness (2015)
  • Hip-Hop Feminism, Masculinity, & HomoHop (2012)
  • Same-Sex Marriage (2012)
  • Intro to Gay/Lesbian Studies (2010)
  • Queering Communication (2007)
  • Living Gay and Lesbian Lives (2005)
  • From Ghetto to Globe: The Gay and Lesbian Journey (2003)
  • Gay and Lesbians: History of a Movement (2000)
  • Gay and Lesbian Writers (1998)
Jan Term and Seminar Officer

Collegiate Seminar & Jan Term Office

Melissa Benham mrb15@stmarys-ca.edu

Collegiate Seminar & Jan Term Office (Korth Tower). We welcome all students needing someone to talk with, vent to, figure out resources with, or if they just need a place to collect themselves, we are here. 

Collegiate Seminar | Saint Mary's College

January Term | Saint Mary's College

Supportive Faculty and Staff

 

 

Amy Braun

aeb26@stmarys-ca.edu : My course policies articulate a firm policy about LGBTQ+ inclusion and belonging, and I have a history of teaching courses on sex gender and sexuality across intersecting spectra, which is something I make sure to mention in all my courses. I'm a member of the queer community and contribute to queer and trans affirming music and art scenes locally. I have expertise in the biology of sex and the neuroscience of gender and sexuality. In addition to providing general social and emotional support, I enjoy equipping queer, trans, nonbinary, and intersex people with a nuanced biological understanding of sex and gender that helps them refute overly simplistic essentialist arguments that are used to undermine and invalidate them.

Shannon Davis

srd16@stmarys-ca.edu : Queer professor offering a Queer, liberated space. Office 6. The whole theatre dept is a safe space. Most of us already found each other here. 

Cathleen Huston and Ana Ramirez

Garaventa 209

Lt. Lyla Lauren

I believe that people have the right to be who they want to be in this life, and the world should not determine your path. Be proud of who you are and move forward in life. Stand in your authentic power and be a strong force. I know that ally ship is a wonderful gift to embrace, so don't be afraid. Throughout my life, I have faced discrimination. However, I have never allowed it to hinder my progress. This is your life, so live it as you see fit. Life is meant to be created in the way you desire, so take charge and create the life you want.

Grant Rozeboom

gjr5@stmarys-ca.edu: Power Plant 112

Sixto F. Montesinos

sfm5@stmarys-ca.edu: Our music program at Saint Mary's is a safe, inclusive, and supportive space for all students. We celebrate diversity in all its forms—race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, religion, and background—and are committed to creating an environment where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued. Here, you can express yourself freely, collaborate openly, and grow as both a musician and a human being. Hate, discrimination, and exclusion have no place in our community. Music brings people together—and so do we.

Matthew Zapruder

mjz4@stmarys-ca.edu: Our MFA program actively welcomes LGBTQ+ individuals, and I would be glad to talk with any student about their writing and their lives, to recommend reading and lend them books, to connect them with other LGBTQ+ students and supportive communities on campus, etc. LGBTQ+ students, staff, and faculty are welcome and safe here!

José Feito

jfeito@stmarys-ca.edu 

I am the current Chair of the Psychology department as well as of the Queeries committee. I teach courses that center and celebrate the queer experience e.g. The Psychology of Gender PSY332, Human Sexualities PSY333 and Queer Theories WGS311. Please feel free to stop by my office PSY116 to say hello anytime.

LGBTQ Activism Archives

The San Francisco LGBT Community Center. 415-865-5555, www.sfcenter.orgThe Pacific Center in Berkeley. 510-548-8283, www.pacificcenter.org.

Rainbow Center builds community, equity, & well-being among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, asexual or agender, and two-spirit (LGBTQIA2S+) people & our allies in the Bay Area.

In Their Own Words: Paul Giurlanda

In Their Own Words: Professor of Theology Paul Giurlanda Has Seen a Major Culture Shift When It Comes to Acceptance. He Helped Make That Happen. | Saint Mary's College

 

Ambassador Miguel H. Diaz: "God, Mysticism, and Queer Sexuality" (2023)

Ambassador Miguel H. Diaz: "God, Mysticism, and Queer Sexuality" | Saint Mary's College

Dr. Díaz, who served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See from 2009 to 2012, is the first and only theologian to serve in the role. His talk is rooted in his most recent book, Queer God de Amor (Fordham Press, 2022), in which he explores the mystery of God and the relationship between divine and human persons by turning to the writings of St. John of the Cross. This is the first lecture in our Doing Theology Latinamente Speaker Series. Sponsored by Theology & Religious Studies, and Mission and Ministry Center.

 

Native American and Indigenous Student Association Discusses Two-Spirit and Queer Native Culture (November 2020)

Native American and Indigenous Student Association Discusses Two-Spirit and Queer Native Culture | Saint Mary's College

 

Dr. Lauren Esposito Talks About STEM and Inclusion (March 2019)

Dr. Lauren Esposito Talks About STEM and Inclusion | Saint Mary's College

 

Autistic Disability Rights Activist Lydia X. Z. Brown to Speak at St. Mary's College (January 2021)

Autistic Disability Rights Activist Lydia X. Z. Brown to Speak at St. Mary's College | Saint Mary's College

Since 1995, we have been offering support & social opportunities to the LGBTQIA+ community & its allies.

Hotlines include:

The GLBT National Health Center at 1-888-843-4564 or 1-800-246-7743 (National Youth Talkline)

The Trevor Project, a 24/7 suicide prevention hotline for LGBTQIA (including questioning) youth.

TimelyCare offers students a 24/7 extension of Saint Mary's College medical and counseling resources that is as easy and convenient as making a video or phone call. As part of SMC’s efforts to prioritize the health and well-being of our campus, students now have free and immediate access to medical and mental health support.

The Queer and Questioning Support Group meets in the Counseling Center. The group is a safe, confidential place for LGBTQIA students to discuss issues related to sexuality and gender. The goal is to create a sense of community and support and to provide a forum to meet others who are thinking about these subjects. Stop by the Counseling Center (in Augustine Hall) or call x4364 for more information.

Social Justice Events and Gatherings (Including the LGBTQ+ Community)