queer voices

Queer Voices: VP of Student Life Drew Tinnin

Posted on by Bianca Torres

This interview was originally featured on the Queer Voices Instagram page @queer_voices. 

Biomedical Art and Visualization major Emerson Harman created the Queer Voices Project, which is working “to amplify LGBTQ+ student, faculty, and alumni voices at Rowan University through portraits and interviews.” You can also find more of their content here.

Drew posing outside the Chamberlain Student Center with a red mask on.

Name, pronouns, and identity?

I am Drew Tinnin, I use he/him/his pronouns, and I identify as a gay male.

​What is your position at Rowan, and when did you start?

I am currently the Associate Vice President for Student Life here, so I work a lot with campus involvement such as the Student Center and Rec Center, orientation, student leadership, and clubs and organizations. I started in 2010 working with orientation and student leadership programs. 

When did you come out as LGBTQ, and why then?

I’m from a fairly small, conservative town in middle-of-nowhere Missouri that had about 8,000 people and 160 people in my high school class. I went to college at a school very similar to Rowan there in Missouri, and came out during college because it was really an environment that was more conducive to me. I met many accepting faculty and staff I interacted with that supported me throughout my coming out process in college. 

Has being LGBTQ+ impacted or influenced your career, and if so, how?

Education in general is fairly accepting and so that has probably contributed to my career choice. I originally was planning to be a high school speech and theater teacher, which is what I was going for in my undergrad. I really got involved in college, was an RA and a member of student government, and by working with the different staff I learned that higher education is a thing too, which is why I decided to pursue my career in higher ed. I went to grad school right after undergrad for higher ed at Bowling Green in Ohio, which is actually where I met my then-future husband as a grad student. My career choice has definitely been part of my coming out and identity development.

How has LGBTQ culture and acceptance changed throughout your time here at Rowan?

Even in 10 years here at Rowan, I’ve definitely seen a lot of changes. When I started, we only had one [LGBTQ+] student organization, the Gay-Straight Alliance. Over time I have seem the Gay-Straight Alliance morph into what is now Prism, and we now have many more queer student organizations. I was the first advisor for True Colors, which started because some trans students didn’t feel that they had the type of space that they wanted in Prism, so they started their own organization. Now we also have Queer People of Color, Out in STEM, and a variety of other opportunities for students, which is something that has definitely increased over the years.

There have also been some campus policies and things that we’ve tried to do to support students that I’m proud to be a part of. We were one of the first schools in the state to implement preferred name policies for students. We’ve also done a lot of work with single-user restrooms that are more accessible on campus, as well as some more inclusive housing options where students can choose roommates without consideration for sex or gender identity. When we built Holly Pointe, the gender neutral bathrooms were certainly something we wanted to make sure were included. 

What would you say to a student or youth who’s struggling with their identity, either personally or with others?

I definitely think it’s a process that’s different for a lot of people, but I hope students are able to find the support and resources that they need here. I’ve found a lot of students and faculty are accepting and welcoming, and both wanting to learn more about others while also being supportive. I know it can be super scary to talk about identity, especially if you are questioning or just coming out, but in my experience, it really helped when I started talking about my identity with others.

For new students, I would just encourage them to get involved and explore their new community! We have many LGBTQIA+ student organizations and resources, and they should not hesitate to check them out no matter how they identify.

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Queer Voices: Rowan Global Student Denzell Moore

Posted on by Bianca Torres

This interview was originally featured on the Queer Voices Instagram page @queer_voices. 

Biomedical Art and Visualization major Emerson Harman created the Queer Voices Project, which is working “to amplify LGBTQ+ student, faculty, and alumni voices at Rowan University through portraits and interviews.” You can also find more of their content here.

Denzell smiling and posing for a photo outside the engineering trail.

Name, pronouns, and identity?

Denzell Moore, he/him, bisexual 

What is your year in school and your major?

Graduate student in Higher Education Administration

​When did you come out and why then?

I feel like I’ve never formerly came out because I was outed. Since then I choose when and who I come out to on my terms. Now that I am more comfortable with myself, I see sharing my identity with people as a privilege for them to further understand me. 

Has being LGBTQ impacted or influenced your education in any way? If so, how?

In regards to my education being bisexual has made notice a lot of the extra steps LGBTQ+ folks have to take to feel and respected in their learning environment. In class discussions around sexuality, I often contemplate whether or not to out myself and how that will change how my peers and professors will see me.

Has LGBTQ culture/acceptance at Rowan changed throughout your time here?

Initially when I arrived at Rowan I wasn’t sure about Rowan’s LGBTQ acceptance. It wasn’t until homophobic/transphobic protestors made their way onto campus (spring of 2019) that I was able to see how accepting Rowan was regarding LGBTQ+ people. While this was taking place many faculty, students and staff of all backgrounds displayed their rejection of these protestors’ ideals by verbally counter protesting and posing with the Pride flag in support. It wasn’t until then I was able to accurately see how accepting and supportive Rowan’s campus can be.   

Selfie of Denzell in Campbell Library.

 
What is something you would like to see changed at Rowan with regard to LGBTQ life?

While I was pursuing my undergraduate degree at Rowan, I served as Public Relations Chair for Prism (a LGBTQ+ advocacy group at Rowan). During this time I heard the grievances of a few trans students regarding making sure they were not addressed by their dead name by professors (even after telling their professors their preferred name). I would like to see a change in Rowan in which trans students do not have to endure this uncomfortable situation.

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Queer Voices: Psychology Major Ella Emmer

Posted on by Bianca Torres

This interview was originally featured on the Queer Voices Instagram page @queer_voices. 

Biomedical Art and Visualization major Emerson Harman created the Queer Voices Project, which is working “to amplify LGBTQ+ student, faculty, and alumni voices at Rowan University through portraits and interviews.” You can also find more of their content here.

Name, pronouns, and identity?

My name is Ella Emmer, my pronouns are she/her, and identify as gay.

What is your year in school and your major?

I’m a junior Psychology major and am also pursuing a minor in German.

A selfie of Ella with a rainbow Pride flag in the background.
When did you come out as LGBTQ+, and why then?

Unfortunately, the first part of my coming out journey was being outed. I got outed my sophomore year of high school to my field hockey team, my coaches, and the entire athletic wing. I had a lot of different friend groups and so it was kinda divided. My friends in the theater wing didn’t find out until I chose to come out my junior year.

The first time I chose to come out I felt like it was almost a form of activism. I was in my high school psychology class and I heard really harmful and derogatory words being thrown around and so I turned around to the group of guys saying those harmful things and I said, ‘Well, what’s wrong with being gay,’ which immediately shocked everyone into silence. He tried to defend it and be like ‘Well Daniella, what would you do if a girl came up and tried to kiss you, wouldn’t you think it’s weird,’ and despite not being out to anyone in the school except that one athletic section, I said, ‘I’d kiss her right back’ and then he was like ‘Oh so you’re a dyke’ to which I said yes.

It was a very uncomfortable experience and it was extremely embarrassing in the moment, but it’s something I look back on with pride because I wanted to make a statement. I didn’t like how no one was saying anything, especially the teacher because I knew he was hearing what was happening. After that class I had a really long and meaningful talk with my high school choir director and he said something that has stuck with me since. He said, ‘Empower yourself and live in your light,’ and that’s something I still live by today. 

​Has being LGBTQ impacted or influenced your education?

Being gay, one of the criteria I looked at when choosing a college was how accepting of LGBTQ students they were and the resources they have for our community. When I saw that Rowan has various LGBTQ+ clubs and the SJICR center, it made me feel very at-home and comfortable, and also I’ve always been someone who loves activism and social justice work, so finding Prism felt like a perfect fit. It felt like a great balance between being a social group for LGBTQ members to meet each other as well as pursuing activist work.

I also want to be a trauma therapist, and part of my mission is to advocate and support LGBTQ+ individuals because unfortunately, people in the LGBTQ+ community are more likely to face trauma. 

​​Has LGBTQ culture and acceptance changed throughout your time at Rowan?

In my experience, I’ve always felt that Rowan has been a very accepting place. I’ve loved to see Prism grow over the years. When I first started it was a small, tight-knit group and now we’re still a family but it’s amazing each year to see more and more people join the family and it makes my heart so happy.

How has attending Rowan helped you in finding an inclusive community?

I was lucky enough to find Prism early on and because of that, I met some of my closest friends. I found people who understood and related to experiences I’ve had. There’s a bond that comes from facing similar oppressive situations. While extremely unfortunate, we all understand what it’s like to be rejected for who we are, and have faced discrimination in one form or another. I’m so lucky to have found Prism and all of the amazing people in the club.

Were there any faculty that you particularly enjoyed, inspired you and/or made you feel you had a safe space?

I initially met JoAnna Murphy by accident, but ever since she has been the person I go to for everything. JoAnna exudes traits that the rest of this world needs to adopt. I truly admire her compassion, authenticity, and dedication to create change in the world. She is a woman and activist I strive to emulate. I feel so lucky to know her and have her as a mentor.  JoAnna has undoubtedly affected my experience at Rowan in an extremely positive way.

Is there anything you would want to see changed at Rowan in regards to LGBTQ+ life?​

I’ve heard many painful stories that my friends have shared about their professors aren’t using the right pronouns or the right name. I feel that that is completely unacceptable and there is no reason why professors or anyone for that matter can’t respect someone’s identity. In the future I would hope to see change implemented that holds all professional staff to provide a safe and welcoming environment for all of their students.

Anything else you want to discuss?

The journey of figuring out your identity can be extremely terrifying and it can feel isolating, but I want people to know that they’re not alone in any of it and that they have a community. They’re exactly valid and worthy for who they are and if anyone ever needs support or a safe person to talk to, just know that I’m an email away.

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Queer Voices: Theatre Major Tyler “TJ” Jacobs

Posted on by Bianca Torres

This interview was originally featured on the Queer Voices Instagram page @queer_voices. 

Biomedical Art and Visualization major Emerson Harman created the Queer Voices Project, which is working “to amplify LGBTQ+ student, faculty, and alumni voices at Rowan University through portraits and interviews.” You can also find more of their content here.

TJ smiling while wearing a rainbow headband.

Name, pronouns, and identity?

I am Tyler “TJ” Jacobs, my pronouns are he/him/his, and I am a gay man.

What is your year in school and your major?

I am a junior Theatre major at Rowan University.
When did you come out as LGBTQ+, and why then?

[laughs] Ok, this is actually a really funny story. So there is never a right time for anything. I actually came out twice, and the first time was of my own accord. I was in 8th grade, and I had attended an open house at my sister’s elementary school with my family and my sister. My sister’s school had one of those “cafetoriums” where there’s a stage in the cafeteria, and I had gone up on the stage and had done some kind of flourish or something, and my mom was like, “Be careful Tyler, do something like that and people might think that you’re gay.”

I said “Haha, yeah,” and she said, “It would be ok if you were,” and I was like, “Cool, that’s good to know.” 

That in mind, we were going out to the car, and I said, “Well, I am gay.”

My stepdad laughed and said ok, but my mom proceeded to freak out. She pulled every emotional trick to basically force me back into the closet, and that was not great. She had said it would be okay, so I had been like, well, there’s no better time than the present, and it turns out the present was not a great time. Later, sophomore year of high school, I had two of my friends over. My friend, who I had a crush on at the time, and I were cuddling and my mom came in and said “Stop that.” Well, obviously, we didn’t stop, and then she came back and said​ that I needed to come downstairs, while my friends were still in my room, and then had this entire confrontation with me that was forcing me out of the closet. Now everything’s fine, we have a great relationship. My mom doesn’t have a problem with it; she did research on her own to figure out what was going on, and we have a great relationship now. Certainly back then, things were a bit rocky.

Has being LGBTQ impacted or influenced your education?

Not really in any negative way. Generally, I’ve been pretty blessed with being a white cis man, who is also straight-passing, that I haven’t had any backlash. I mean, I’ve been called “fag” only twice in my life, and not so many are that lucky. 

Has LGBTQ culture and acceptance changed throughout your time at Rowan?

I’m in the theatre department, so I’m just generally around a large amount of LGBTQ+ people, but I haven’t really felt super connected to a larger community of LGBTQ+ people as a whole at Rowan. I haven’t felt that at all. I haven’t really experienced any hatefulness or anything from the general public, besides being called “fag” once, but that was one time out of three years. Ultimately, it doesn’t feel like there’s a huge presence with any of the LGBTQ+ organizations. I know that they’re there, but I’m never able to attend because of my schedule.

This year I’m really, really trying to reach out and connect to other people in the community because in general LGBTQ+ youth do not get to connect to others in the community throughout their adolescence. I really think we are negatively impacted by that, because we don’t get to relate and share our experiences with others as our straight counterparts do. I’m hoping that the community continues to grow and open up and connect with others on campus, but I haven’t seen any new developments. It’s honestly stagnant. The community at large here is very accepting.

How has attending Rowan helped you in finding an inclusive community?

Rowan, like many other institutions, helped me find an inclusive community by providing a space where I could find like-minded individuals. Whether it is in the classroom, at the student center, the library, or the theatre, usually I could find someone to speak to or learn something from. Rowan has also provided me with a wealth of opportunities to build smaller communities within through artistic endeavors, educational experiences, and club formulation. For instance, from my understanding I was the only puppeteer on campus with the exception of the puppetry workshop professor. Seeking to change that, I created RU Puppet Artists (RUPA), which allowed me to create the community I wanted to be a part of. Over a single school year, despite COVID-19, there are now several students that would proudly call themselves puppet artists that I know I can rely upon. 

Were there any faculty that you particularly enjoyed, inspired you and/or made you feel you had a safe space?

My biggest inspiration is the Department of Theatre & Dance’s Technical Director Tom Fusco. Not only is Tom an incredible professor, he has been an amazing friend and collaborator. He has been there to support myself and many other students throughout all of our endeavors. I know that whenever I need a hand or advice, I can call on him. That is not to say that he is the only professor who has supported me, especially when it comes to the theatre & dance department. There are several of them who I am proud to have worked with and am incredibly grateful for all the support and wisdom that they have imparted upon me. As I approach the end of my undergraduate studies, I can smile at all that I have learned from these incredible people and look forward to continuing my work with them in the larger South Jersey/Philadelphia community so that we can continue to inspire young artists trying to find their voice.

Is there anything you would want to see changed at Rowan in regards to LGBTQ+ life?​

I would like to see a large presence besides rainbow balloons at Pride month. There are drag competitions that happen, but only once a year. Maybe I’m wrong, because I’m not super connected to any of the organizations, but I would generally like to see more outreach and letting people know “Hey we’re here.” Other than me just being aware of the existence of these clubs, I see and hear nothing. That’s really unfortunate because there are a lot of people who could really use a little more messaging and letting them know that they’re there. There’s no connection, there’s no flyer up or anything that’s constantly up in their periphery to remind them that ‘Oh, there are people out there like me on campus who I can connect to and grow with.’ It would be really assuring if there was a general expansion of LGBTQ+ presence to let people know we are here.

Anything else you want to discuss?

​I think it’s really, incredibly important to find people in the community you look up to and can relate to and maybe reach out to. I’m a puppeteer, and the puppeteering community, like most professions, is dominated by straight, cis, white men, but there are queer puppeteers out there, and there are some truly amazing ones. While I haven’t had the privilege of getting to speak with them, just knowing that they exist and being able to see and relate to their work, and to know that they’re approaching it through that [LGBTQ+] lens is a really powerful thing. To know that there are these artists representing gay men in the puppeteering profession is really important to me. They are truly my biggest heroes.

I know for me, I hope I can connect with them so maybe one day I can be that hero where someone looks at my work and says he did it, I can do it, which is a beautiful thing. Find your idols, find your role models, and if you can, let them know that you’re here too. 

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Queer Voices: Business Major Ian McClellan

Posted on by Bianca Torres
An exterior shot of Bunce Hall is illuminated in rainbow colors for Pride Month.

This interview was originally featured on the Queer Voices Instagram page @queer_voices. 

Biomedical Art and Visualization major Emerson Harman created the Queer Voices Project, which is working “to amplify LGBTQ+ student, faculty, and alumni voices at Rowan University through portraits and interviews.” You can also find more of their content here.

Name, pronouns, and identity?

My name is Ian McClellan, my pronouns are he/him/his, and I am gay.

What is your year in school and your major?
I am currently a junior here at Rowan University majoring in local Supply Chain Management and Logistics, Marketing, and Entrepreneurship.

Ian leaning against a bridge overlooking a lake.
When did you come out as LGBTQ+, and why then?

I officially came out when transitioning between high school and college. For me it was just an easier transition, because I didn’t have to keep up any sort of façade. Everyone who was going to be at my school wouldn’t know me, so it was an easier time to be open instead of trying to hide it.

Has being LGBTQ impacted or influenced your education?

For the most part, there isn’t a noticeable impact. My teachers have never quite cared, and most of them probably don’t know. I’m not super forthcoming about being gay, it’s more of a fun fact or piece of trivia that you figure out if you figure it out, so I guess there’s been no profound impact.

Has LGBTQ culture and acceptance changed throughout your time at Rowan?
I’d say the change is minor, but I noticed it through the LGBTQ clubs on campus. When I first started attending Rowan my [first] year, the LGBTQ clubs and organizations were more of a social gathering where you could go and meet other LGBTQ people in the community, but today it’s more focused on activism and social change. That has come around due to leadership changes in the clubs, so activism is a bit bigger on campus than it once was. Social interaction still occurs through the activism of those clubs, but it’s not quite what it was. The culture hasn’t changed too much, but just changed what the focus is about.

How has attending Rowan helped you in finding an inclusive community?

Rowan has allowed me the opportunity to meet other members of the LGBTQIA+ community who are of a similar age. This has allowed me to feel more comfortable and to physically see others thriving and believe that I can thrive myself.

Were there any faculty that you particularly enjoyed, inspired you and/or made you feel you had a safe space?

The residential learning professional team at Rowan made me feel more comfortable in my time as both a resident and a resident assistant. They not only encourage diverse perspectives but celebrate them. Everyone has something to bring to the table.

Is there anything you would want to see changed at Rowan in regards to LGBTQ+ life?​

I know a lot of people at Rowan struggle at the moment with their identity. College, for a lot of people, is a time to get away from the pressures of home and feeling like you have to achieve certain things, so I know a lot of students have the opportunity to explore their sexuality. A lot of people are quiet or hushed about it, though, because they feel that there’s some kind of stigma or stereotype about experimenting with your sexuality, like it’s something you can be made fun of, especially if you’re a male. You seem to have to want to experiment, because if you experiment, people think you automatically are [LGBTQ] and there’s no going back, so a lot of people go on apps to explore sexuality and use fake names or don’t put up photos, so overall there’s a lot of insecurity about it, which could be worked to be decreased.

Anything else you want to discuss?

There’s a living-learning community in Holly Pointe Commons for LGBTQ+ people. I know that RLUH (Residential Learning and University Housing) is really pushing to create more learning communities to allow people to express their interests, so people who want to be involved in the LGBTQ community have a place where for the first time in college they can come out and meet people in the community. They get the opportunity to feel an aura of comfort, because other people in their community don’t judge them for who they are.

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