The Lavender Grove E-board members and QTPOCC E-board members share upcoming events hosted by their organizations.// Photo courtesy of Camryn Bowden

Every summer ushers in new changes for the Hofstra community. This summer, new changes to the on-campus LGBTQ+ community came in the form of a Pride Network rebrand, now called the Lavender Grove.

The Lavender Grove is one of three organizations on campus dedicated to fostering inclusion and diversity among queer and transgender students on campus. The organization changed its name this summer after 15 years of using the name “the Pride Network,” citing confusion between the Hofstra Pride and the former name of the organization.

In a post on the Lavender Grove’s Instagram, the organization wrote:

“The Lavender Grove stems from the namesake of Cherry Grove, a local queer safe space that the Hofstra community is familiar with and a place where many queer-identifying students at the university go to find respite and safety within the LGBTQ+ community. We decided to couple that with lavender, the code-word color used for queer weddings and marriages and a color that has made itself the signature hue of the LGBTQ+ community.”

Minta Sloan, a sophomore filmmaking major and the secretary of the Lavender Grove, said that the rebrand was meant to promote safety and security for LGBTQ+ individuals.

“We’re starting a rebrand which is mainly focused on just community, which is the point of the Pride Network, to have that community, to have that space,” Sloan said. “Because, you know, yes, it is 2024, but we’re still in a part of Long Island where sometimes people aren’t that comfortable being out, and sometimes people grew up in families that just didn’t have that type of safe space. So, we’re trying to act as that.”

Sloan also expressed that the Lavender Grove hopes to create even more involvement with other identity-based groups at Hofstra.

“We’re trying to have a lot more collaborations with QTPOCC (the Queer and Trans People of Color Coalition) and then we have the Black Students Association, the Latino Students Association [and] the Muslim Students Association,” Sloan said. “We’re all trying to get together [to] have, like, big potlucks, stuff like that. Really just kind of make a space where people can have friends and have connections of people from all different backgrounds, and then feel comfortable saying, ‘Yeah, I’m different, and that’s not a bad thing.’”

One of those first examples of that goal of fostering community came in the form of the LGBTQ+ Unity Mixer held on Sunday, Sept. 1, at the Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center. The Lavender Grove and QTPOCC partnered to welcome people of all sexualities and genders to learn more about the inclusion and diversity efforts made by both organizations and some icebreakers and games.

Victoria Griffin, a sophomore marketing major and the vice president of QTPOCC, said one goal of the mixer was to attract more LGBTQ+ People of Color.

“I’m hoping that we can invite more of the POC community to feel more comfortable on campus, definitely, because QTPOCC has been such a big part of my experience, at least feeling comfortable being a queer person and also a person of color, it’s so important, especially here at a PWI (Predominantly White Institution),” Sloan said. “So I’m just hoping that we can invite more people in, especially underclassmen, to feel more comfortable in the community.”

Ayaan Johnson, junior political science and public policy major and the events manager of QTPOCC, shared a similar sentiment.

“I’m just hoping that we can get our club out there more,” Johnson said, “because I feel like the LGBTQ+ People of Color on campus…know we exist, but they don’t really know what happens and what we do. And I hope that this can educate them more and show them that they have a safe space with us.”

Juanita Collins, a sophomore linguistics major and the secretary of QTPOCC, shared that partnering with Lavender Grove is meant to show everyone that there are safe spaces on campus.

“I feel like it just gives that kind of aspect of diversity that you look for in any other group,” Collins said.

Johnson said that organizations working together shows further diversity on campus to some students who might not be aware. “It shows that we’re more diverse. We have a more diverse voice on campus. And if anybody has any friends that they know, they can show them that there’s a specific club for them.”

In addition to the mixer, Denivia Rivera, sophomore dance and journalism major and QTPOCC president, said the organization is doing other things, like tabling in the student center atrium, to attract more involvement.

“The involvement fair was a success for QTPOCC and was a great opportunity to get more recognition for our club,” Rivera said. “It was great to see so many new students so eager and interested in attending our events and showing support for our community. We had a lot of sign-ups and QTPOCC is excited to welcome all of our new members this semester.”

Hugo Morales, the associate director for Intercultural Engagement and Inclusion at Hofstra, said that the Unity Mixer was a perfect time for new and returning students to come together in celebration of their identities across race, gender, sexuality and more.

“The LGBTQ+ Unity Mixer, hosted by The Lavender Grove, QTPOCC and OUTLaw, was more than just a welcoming event – it was a vital opportunity for our Queer students to find community and create a sense of belonging from the start of their college journey,” Morales said. “It is my hope that the collaborative effort among the queer student [organizations] to bring this mixer to life and the Lavender Grove rebranding enhances visibility of the LGBTQ+ community, promotes acceptance and increases membership among these [organizations].”

According to students at the event, the mixer was a success. It garnered more involvement for both groups and allowed newer students to make connections across identities. Makis Prescod, a freshman computer science major, said the event was a great start to the semester.

“Coming in here, I was kind of excited,” Prescod said. “It met my expectations, [and] it was super fun. I met some new people, and they were pretty cool. This event made me feel really welcomed.”

Prescod also shared that he is not very familiar with the organization’s events but looks forward to seeing what’s in store for the upcoming year.

“I’m not exactly familiar with what these types of clubs do in terms of events, so I kind of just want to find out,” Prescod said. “I heard something about a drag show, which sounds fun, and they also said something about
painting a mural, so I’ll also look into that.”