By Minnie Stephenson

The LGBT Equity Center is now the LGBTQ+ Equity Center. It’s part of an effort to be more inclusive of all identities at the University of Maryland, said Shige Sakurai, the acting director of the equity center.

The new name was revealed at the LGBTQ+ Leadership Gathering on Sept. 9, an event for students, staff, and faculty to help build communities at UMD. 

“We’ve been describing the community as LGBTQ+ for about eight years now,” Sakurai said, so the center wanted the name to match how they already referred to the community.

The “Q” stands for queer — once used a slur against the gay community but one now starting to be reclaimed — and the “+” acknowledges the many other identities that people in the community connect with, Sakurai said.

“The name change represents the vast sexual and gender diversity that exists at UMD,” M Pease, a senior psychology major and LGBTQ+ activist, wrote in an email. The LGBTQ+ Equity center “provides an invaluable service in communities that are so often overlooked.”

Andrea Hill, a graduate student studying physics, praised the “explicit inclusion” the name change represents for queer people like her. 

Her previous university in the South had LGBTQ+ resources, she said, but the community wasn’t accepted by many people. Here at UMD, she feels more comfortable, especially since many students on campus openly express their pride and acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community. 

“‘Q’ and ‘plus’ are very important. I personally identity as queer so it means a lot to me personally as well.” Hill said. 

While the center’s name was officially changed, Sakurai said it will take a while to get the new name updated on every platform. And although the name change is important, they said it shouldn’t be blown out of proportion. 

“The more important stuff is the actual work that we need to do and continue to do,” Sakurai said, pointing to transgender and nonbinary issues, as well as intersectional issues around LGBTQ+ people of color.

“We serve as catalysts and bring people together and help build a community,” they said.

Featured image: Shige Sakurai holds a plush rainbow turtle at the LGBTQ+ Equity Center in College Park, Md., on Sept. 16, 2021. Photo by Minnie Stephenson.