Find Your Community: NYU’s LGBTQ+ Clubs

The adjustment from high school to college can be a challenge. For Catherine Chen, joining an LGBTQ+ club during her first semester helped ease the transition. “Building a social community when you first get here gives you the confidence to go out and forge your way through all the exciting professional and academic opportunities ahead,” she says. Catherine, who majored in Chemistry at the College of Arts and Science (CAS), is the former president of CampGrrl, a club for queer students of marginalized genders. “LGBTQ+ clubs are a great place to make friends and help make NYU feel a little smaller,” she concludes.

All are welcome at NYU’s LGBTQ+ clubs. Want to learn more about activism and community building? Join Queer Union. Have questions about religion or spirituality? Check out QFaith. Some clubs give students the chance to learn about specific topics, while others are a place to have fun and grow together. For example, when Margot Delery, a Psychology major at CAS, joined T-Party, a club for transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming students, it was life-changing. “I’d never seen a room filled with trans people. In fact, I’d never been in a space where I was normal and blended in with the crowd,” says Margot, who served as the club’s president. “It’s amazing. When I first started going, I’d never seen that many trans people at once. Now I have. Many times. And it’s all because of T-Party.”

While these clubs are student-run and student-led, they’re housed within the NYU LGBTQ+ Center. As a result, each club has access to the resources it needs to succeed. “A big part of the center’s mission is education and service,” adds Catherine. “It’s helpful to be a part of a community where people both acknowledge the problems you face and give you the tools to address those problems, help others, and uplift one another. Our clubs are a great place to meet people. Also, they’re a great place to learn, lead, and serve.”