Clothing swap is a ‘safe and inclusive’ space
Students at the University of Arizona have set up a “queer closet” that is billed as a “free shopping experience” for LGBTQ students where they can safely update their wardrobe.
The Daily Wildcat reports the closet, located in the Women and Gender Resource Center in the student union, “houses clothing, accessories, shoes and hygiene products for anyone identifying as an LGBTQ+ student.”
“The space is meant to be safe and inclusive. Students using it can remain anonymous,” the Wildcat reported.
The closet is a clothing swap, and is a continuation of a program that started last year for transgender students. The Wildcat reported that 60 to 70 people donated and browsed the available clothing on the October 16 grand opening in the student union, a more prominent location on campus than its original spot, and more locations are a possibility.
From the Wildcat:
Maritza Almanca, the co-facilitator of the Queer Trans People of Color discussion group, remembered the event as a pivotal moment in her gender understanding and growth.
“I remember leaving that event with three bags of clothing, some of the first dresses I ever got to wear,” she said.
Angela Labistre Champion, a graduate research associate at the UA’s Institute for LGBT Studies, explained that a now-graduated student, Bridgette Nobbe, and herself decided to create Queer Closet with the clothing items that remained after the Trans Swap Event.
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