The quality that regulars at the take the most pride in is also the one most palpable to a stranger stepping through its door: a welcome so warm, it’s hard to do anything but put your feet up and stay a few hours.
Tissue paper flowers cascade across the reception desk, art pieces and promotional posters spackle the small foyer and banners from Homecomings past paper the walls. It’s a handmade rainbow cacophony that speaks to the freshness of the life, love and knowledge students exchange here.
On any given day you will see students sprawled across the couches in both of the Rainbow Center’s two main living areas. Some are reading, others are chatting. Still others are eating or laughing or writing or cuddling. Alexander Croxton, a 20-year-old UConn junior, is one of the frequenters.
“Coming here, you just take a deep breath, throw your stuff on the ground,” Croxton sighed. “And say ‘I’m home.’”
The Rainbow Center, the cultural center that serves as the home base for members of UConn’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and heterosexual allied community, is a large part of why UConn is recognized by The Advocate, a LGBT-interest magazine, as one of the 100 most gay-friendly college campuses in the United States.
A congenial atmosphere is particularly important for a cultural center that serves as a safe space for those who identify as LGBT, an oppressed identity that people may have difficulty understanding or accepting. Several students tell stories of others who have loitered outside the Rainbow Center for days before gathering the courage to go in.
“We understand walking through those doors is a big deal for some people. There’s still a stigma for them…We can’t become complacent with our welcome,” said Fleurette King, the director of the Rainbow Center. “If we get more people to walk through our doors so we can remove that stigma, we’re doing our job.”
Regulars of the Rainbow Center emphasize that the space is open to everyone and nobody is in the business of defining a person’s sexuality – or having their sexuality define them.
“You don’t have to identify as something to get inside,” said Bill Hickman, the administrative assistant at the Rainbow Center. “Your sexuality and gender isn’t written on your forehead. We never know how you identify when you walk in the door and we don’t ask.”
“It’s not like I have a gay membership card that gets me in,” Croxton said, with a laugh.
According to King and Hickman, the open and embracing environment has everything to do with the student staff.
“I just let the students define the center,” said Hickman.
Student staff members are encouraged to contribute to the center’s décor, a freedom that fosters the space’s liveliness and eclectic feel. Staff training emphasizes the importance of introducing every new face to those relaxing or working in the space.
“Once you introduce people, you’ve tied them together and given people a reason to care and to come back,” said Lynne Alexander, a senior. “Our regulars are so grateful for this space, they want to give back by being welcoming so this place can continue to grow.”
King is also proud of the diversity of her student staff, who represent a variety of sexual identities, racial and ethnic backgrounds, religious beliefs, socioeconomic levels and academic and extracurricular interests.
“It’s just fabulous,” King said. “A diverse staff is the gift that keeps on giving. People can see a reflection of themselves here.”
Campus Presence
The center hosts discussions and film screenings, participates in campus spirit festivities, hosts popular annual events like the spring’s Drag Show, manages academic courses and conducts the Husky Ally program, which educates and certifies campus organizations interested in learning how to build safe zones and become effective allies for the LGBT community. The organization also has a library of more than 2,000 books and videos, according to the center’s website.
“A good proportion of my education was from non-academic programs here,” Croxton said.
Croxton worked in the Rainbow Center his freshman year and now volunteers there nearly every weekday. In his freshman year, Croxton took a class called Queer Issues that met in the Rainbow Center, participated in the center’s Homecoming Week festivities and worked on an art show on gender fluidity. He is one of about a couple dozen regulars that show up nearly every day the RC is open.
“You can learn a lot just by being around,” Croxton said.
The Rainbow Center also offers programming for university credit. King teaches three classes there. Queer Issues and Social Justice in a Diverse Democracy are 1-credit classes for freshmen and sophomores, while the Out to Lunch Lecture Series class is a 3-credit course in which scholars and activists visit the center and speak. These classes cover LGBT issues and how they interact with public health, business, literature, law and family dynamics.
Freshman Mick Powell says she’s at the Rainbow Center “basically anytime I’m not in class or in my room sleeping.” The group is incredibly tight-knit, and boasts a family-like dynamic.
“You come here and you get a second family – and for some people it’s a first family, or a new family,” Powell said.
A Changing Campus
As UConn’s youngest cultural center, the Rainbow Center is essentially a product of the last 14 years. Prior to 1998, when Hickman began working at UConn, the program was run by students and overseen by student activities.
In 1999, The Princeton Review published their annual rankings – and UConn was in the top-20 “most homophobic” universities in the United States, Hickman said.
In the years since, UConn has landed solidly in the top 100 gay-friendly universities, according to rankings produced by The Advocate. It also received a 4.5 out of 5 on the LGBTQ-Friendly Campus Climate Index. This is in large part thanks to the students and staff at the Rainbow Center who work to encourage the campus to learn about LGBT issues.
With more recent developments like the implementation of gender-neutral housing, university health care coverage for transgender transitions – coverage that is extremely rare – and a state law change that prohibits discrimination toward transgender people, Hickman estimates that UConn “would probably qualify as a top-20 school” this year.
Community Engagement
As the center grew, so did its sphere of influence.
Only two weeks ago, Powell was with 13 other students on the Rainbow Center’s alternative Spring Break trip. Participants spoke to LGBT activists and made safe-sex packets for the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective.
The batch of students concluded their break preparing and volunteering for the True Colors Conference, a 2-day event that attracts thousands of people and takes over the , the , the Classroom Building and parts of the Business School.
Participants in the conference, mostly middle school and high school students around Connecticut and surrounding states, see presentations by influential members of the LGBT community and participate in workshops about gender and sexuality.
The Rainbow Center’s welcoming spirit spills into these community efforts.
“The best part about volunteering was…being able to stand back and see them as we cheered for them coming off school bus after school bus after school bus,” said Powell, who went to True Colors each of her high school years. “They were confused and happy at the same time because we were cheering for them, we were excited for them to be here.”
‘Most schools do not have this’
King and Hickman both said that UConn’s administration is very supportive, and many people expressed their gratitude for such an immense space.
“Most schools do not have this,” Croxton said, making a tight circle with his pointer finger. “And if they do, it’s nothing compared to the size we have.”
The center is 3,800 square feet, huge compared to the spaces of many universities, whose LGBT centers are often confined to closets or shared spaces. The Rainbow Center also employs two full-time adults and several student staff members.
“[With the way the] university advocates for this type of diversity, not only in talk and in policy, but with budgetary means…UConn demonstrates its commitment to us very well,” Hickman said.
The Rainbow Center is located on the fourth floor of the Student Union and is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and upon request.
