Westminster University students Justin Young-Bach (’26), a neuroscience major, and Brittyn Jennings (‘28) ceramics, business, and community leadership custom major, have spent the past year working as a coordinators for Queer Compass, one of the six student identity groups on campus. Queer Compass aims to help normalize the presence of queer people in public spaces, done primarily through events to highlight the importance of integration and community on a campus-wide scale. Justin and Brittyn work together with Student Engagement and Belonging (SEB) to plan events for current undergraduate students of any gender and sexuality. All of the student identity groups work to have about one event per month, not including collaboration events and dedicated weeks of programming.
When asked about the importance of Queer Compass as a student identity group, Justin highlighted how important it is for queer people to exist in the same spaces as everyone else, without being pushed to the side in favor of protecting others’ comfort.
“The main thing it does is that it normalizes queer people in public spaces. So often queer spaces are pushed to the side in bars or other secluded, private areas. What this says is that queer people and being queer is something that should take place behind closed doors. By having a university-funded organization with public events, it shows that queer people can and should exist in everyday spaces, and that our Queerness should be publicly celebrated.”
Brittyn spoke to the events that have allowed Queer Compass to create a physical space for the LGBTQ+ community on campus, once again emphasizing the importance of a physical space for visibility and inclusion. These include what to look forward to as the 2024-25 academic year comes to a close, as well as what Queer Compass hopes to establish as campus-wide traditions.
“This year, Queer Compass has hosted a variety of events aimed at community-building and celebration. We’ve organized movie nights that spotlight LGBTQIA+ films, hosted craft nights featuring painting tutorials (including the legendary Bob Ross), and DIY keychain and earring-making sessions. We’ve also incorporated educational initiatives into our programming, like highlighting important figures in queer history and tabling for National AIDS Awareness Day. We’re also building out annual traditions such as Pride Week and Lavender Graduation, ensuring that queer students have opportunities to celebrate themselves and their achievements year after year.”
Queer Compass planned two major events for the last month of the academic year: Pride Week and the Lavender Graduation ceremony. Pride week is a dedicated week in the month of April with events taking place every day to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community that proudly exists at Westminster, including both day and night events to encourage as many students as possible to attend. The 2025 Pride Week festivities were a major success, with students celebrating queer joy through a resource fair, performances, panel events, and more. Watch for next year's Pride Week celebration in April 2026.
The Lavender Graduation will be a special ceremony used to celebrate queer individuals that will be graduating as part of the Class of 2025. Justin and Brittyn both highlighted how valuable it was to acknowledge the accomplishments of their queer peers, showing that they are truly capable of exceeding in higher education and beyond.
Through Queer Compass, Justin and Brittyn have created a community they both consider to be invaluable to Westminster, based not only in academics but the greater campus collective. Brittyn mentioned how strengthening and providing a space for the LGBTQ+ community drew him to the position of SEB coordinator.
“As an SEB coordinator, I’ve had the opportunity to build strong relationships with both peers and faculty. These connections have opened doors for career development, mentorship, and meaningful collaboration within the Westminster community. Outside of my coordinator role, SEB has also supported my personal growth by fostering cultural awareness and helping me better understand identities outside of my own."
–Violet Czech ('26)
