“I Feel Like I Am A Part of a Family”: Quartice Robinson on Building Queer Community At An HBCU
Student-activist Quartice Robinson. Photo courtesy of Quartice Robinson.
By Jaimee A. Swift
Quartice Robinson (she/her/hers) is happy to find queer community and family at Fayetteville State University.
Quartice Robinson’s interview is a part of ‘Voices in Movement’ February 2020 theme, #MakingBlackQueerHistory: Black LGBTQ+ Women and Non-Binary Student Activism at HBCUs. To read the descriptor, please click here..
Quartice Robinson is grateful to be in communion with others who are able to accept her for who she truly is. A freshman nursing major and Chinese minor at Fayetteville State University, Robinson is a member of SPECTRUM, Fayetteville State’s premier and only LGBTQ+ student organization on campus. Organizing with members to create a safe space of inclusivity for all students on campus, Robinson, who was born in the Bronx, New York but raised in Greenville, North Carolina, has found a true community within the student organization, and is grateful for the support she receives from her newfound family.
Robinson shared with me the difficulties of being pansexual on campus; offered suggestions on what Fayetteville State can do to be more inclusive of its LGBTQ+ community; and what a Black Woman Radical means to her.
What are the difficulties and benefits of being pansexual on campus?
Quartice Robinson (QR): “Many people think I am an ally. When I tell people I am pansexual, many people confuse me with being bisexual and things like that. Sometimes, they consider me as bisexual when I am not. A lot of people do not understand what being pansexual is.”
How can Fayetteville State University be more inclusive of its LGBTQ+ student body?
QR: “I think there should be more pamphlets and discussions about different types of sexualities. I also think they should broadcast our ‘Safe Zone’ and make it more known because sometimes when you ask people about ‘Safe Zone’, they do not know what it is.”
How has SPECTRUM made LGBTQ+ students at Fayetteville State University feel included?
QR: “The people in SPECTRUM are really open. I feel like I am a part of my family.”
Why do you think LGBTQ+ student representation and justice is important at HBCUs?
QR: “Being LGBTQ+ is usually pushed aside and something that not many people want to talk about. If they do talk about it, it is always negative. People think being gay is going to badly influence kids and they think all this negative things about us. I think people should just realize not everything is bad and that we are people.”
What can professors, staff, and administration do at Fayetteville State University to make sure LGBTQ+ students are included?
QR: “They should have a ‘Safe Zone’ sticker posted in their email or office, just for other students to know they are a safe person to talk to.”
Do you think Fayetteville State University is an inclusive space?
QR: “To be honest, I haven’t seen any homophobia yet. Where I am from, it is very conservative and there was a lot of homophobia and racism. I am surprised at how open everybody is to the LGBTQ+ community.”
What does a ‘Black Woman Radical’ mean to you?
QR: “It means standing up for what we believe in and our history.”
Who are some Black women you admire?
QR: “I really love Lizzo. I love how she doesn’t care about what the public says about her body. She makes me want to be more confident in myself.”
You can follow SPECTRUM on Facebook.