For many LGBTQ+ people, the matter of belonging is never truly out of our minds. It’s easy to feel alone in such a big world, and it’s easier to feel even more alone when you’re realizing you’re queer in college. People have delt with this same isolating feeling for decades upon decades. Many LGBTQ+ students at the University of Wisconsin – Steven’s Point are not exempt from this feeling, but looking back at the LGBTQ+ community before us helps us realize that we are never truly alone.
The Beginning of the Gender & Sexuality Alliance
The concept of public Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ+) clubs is rather new, the first of these types being Gender & Sexuality Alliance (GSA) having been founded in 1972 at George Washington High School in Manhattan1. The establishment of such a club came in the fallout of the Stonewall Inn riots in June just 3 years prior, when the mere topic of gay rights was as tumultuous as ever – especially for black people & people of color, many of which were on the frontlines of the riots. Those who were apart of the LGBTQ+ community or were allies desperately needed a safe space. While these spaces were not unheard of at the time, many were private communities – only allowing those they knew for sure were safe within them.
With time, the number of Gender & Sexuality Alliance’s only grows and eventually reaches Madison, Wisconsin in the early 1990’s. Through the establishment of GSAFE in 1991, Wisconsin sees a boom in these clubs – the organization now partners with over 200 GSA’s across the state2.
UWSP’s Queer Community
As is the deal with all of the schools who’d established GSA’s, these clubs did not invent queer people on school campuses but instead gave them an official platform to fight unified for their rights and provide resources for others. According to multiple articles in The Pointer, homophobia on campus was no small issue.
Countless LGBTQ+ students in Stevens Point were shoved into the closet3 or forced to put up with harassment from their peers. Multiple issues of The Pointer serve as a dialogue between these students – some arguing to have LGBTQ+ people represented and respected on campus while others cry for the opposite.
“We were born into a society of prejudices,” said [Warren J.] Blumenfeld. “I even grew up hating myself because I was different.”4
UWSP’s Gender & Sexuality Alliance
It isn’t until the early 2000’s that UWSP forms its official Gender & Sexuality Alliance and quickly becomes a hub for LGBTQ+ students on campus. Not long after UWSP’s GSA establishment, Obergefell v. Hodges was struck down in a 5-4 vote in the Supreme Court, erasing states bans on same-sex marriage5.
Almost simultaneously, the dialogue in The Pointer shifts from a back and forth between people arguing for or against homosexuality to how uplifting the GSA has been for it’s participants & witnesses.
A pattern of joy from LGBTQ+ students, faculty and their allies begins to emerge, particularly during Pride Week.
“Pride Week was a great way to get a message out to students that might be struggling with their own issues that they are okay. They are beautiful exactly how they are and they have an entire community behind them whether they know it or not.” – Zach Young6
Hosted in April, Pride Week was, for lack of a better term, a mini Pride Month – taking place in April instead of the usual June so those on campus for the spring semester could still participate in festivities. From presentations on activism, to drag shows, live showings of Rocky Horror Picture Show, and much more, there truly was space for everyone who wanted to participate all thanks to the work of the Gender & Sexuality Alliance.
What Does it Mean Now?
To this day, UWSP’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance (and more recently formed Queer Resource Center) continues to be activity hubs for the queer & allied students of UW Stevens Point. While the two offer bigger events such as October’s Hellaqueen or April’s Drag Me to Finals drag shows, there are also smaller events such as do-it-yourself patch making or informational sessions on obtaining Hormone Replacement Therapy on campus and other community building events. These events, regardless of the scope, ensures no LGBTQ+ student at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point has to feel alone. The Gender and Sexuality Alliance’s history, from its formation in Manhattan to its work here at UWSP, serves as proof that there is always someone in your corner – regardless of who you love.
Further Resources
Want to learn more about LGBTQ+ Resources in Steven’s Point and/or the state of Wisconsin? Check out these resources!
- University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance & Queer Resource Center (DUC 210)
- GSAFE
- University of Wisconsin – Madison’s LGBTQ+ Archival Collection
Footnotes
- Dominique Johnson, ““This Is Political!” Negotiating the Legacies of the First School-Based Gay Youth Group,” Children, Youth and Environments 17, no. 2 (2007) ↩︎
- “History.” n.d. GSAFE. ↩︎
- The act of hiding your gender and/or sexuality. ↩︎
- Kelly Lecker, “Homophobia stems from personal prejudices”, The Pointer, October 24, 1991. ↩︎
- “The Journey to Marriage Equality in the United States” n.d. Human Rights Campaign ↩︎
- Emma St. Aubin, “There’s Nothing Wrong with Loving Who You Are: Pride Week”, The Pointer, April 19, 2012. ↩︎
Works Cited
Johnson, Dominique. “‘This Is Political!’ Negotiating the Legacies of the First School-Based Gay Youth Group.” Children, Youth and Environments 17, no. 2 (2007): 380–87. http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7721/chilyoutenvi.17.2.0380 (accessed April 25, 2026).
Emma St. Aubin, “There’s Nothing Wrong with Loving Who You Are: Pride Week”, The Pointer, April 19, 2012. From Nelis R. Kampenga Archives and Area Resource Center, University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, LGBTQ-Miscellaneous Pointer Articles, etc. https://cdm17556.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/verticalfiles/id/23762/rec/1 (accessed May 1, 2026)
“History.” n.d. GSAFE. https://gsafewi.org/about-us/history/ (accessed May 10, 2026).
Lecker, Kelly. “Homophobia stems from personal prejudices”, The Pointer, October 24, 1991. From Nelis R. Kampenga Archives and Area Resource Center, University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, LGBTQ-Miscellaneous Pointer Articles, etc. https://cdm17556.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/verticalfiles/id/23959/rec/30 (accessed May 1, 2026)
“LGBTQ-Gender and Sexuality Alliance” 2010-. Nelis R. Kampenga Archives and Area Resource Center, University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point (accessed April 25, 2026).
“LGBTQ-Miscellaneous Pointer Articles, etc” 1976, 1980s-. Nelis R. Kampenga Archives and Area Resource Center, University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point (accessed April 25, 2026).
“The Journey to Marriage Equality in the United States” n.d. Human Rights Campaign. https://www.hrc.org/our-work/stories/the-journey-to-marriage-equality-in-the-united-states (accessed May 1, 2026).
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