Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
The Queer Stories of 'Cuse podcast series was created by the LGBTQ Resource Center at Syracuse University (SU), in collaboration with The SENSES Project, to curate an oral history archive telling queer stories in an authentic light. This series features interviews of past and present SU students, staff, faculty and community members of the Greater Syracuse area who are passionate about queer issues and advocacy work.
Special thanks to:
The SENSES Project Program Coordinator, Nick Piato
Director of SU LGBTQ Resource Center, Jorge Castillo
Associate Director of SU Office of Supportive Services, Amy Horan Messersmith
Co-hosts: Bushra Naqi, Rio Flores & Sebastian Callahan
Interview with Stefany Lema Rodriguez Transcript
Host: Bushra Naqi
Bushra 0:01
Hi, everyone. My name is Bushra Naqi, and I'm the co-host for the Queer Syracuse Oral History Archive Project. Today, our interviewee is Stefany and I'll allow them to introduce themselves.
Stefany 0:14
Hi, everyone. My name is Stefany Lema Rodriguez. My pronouns are they, them/She her and I'm a Syracuse University alumna.
Bushra 0:25
I'm so excited to have you here today.
Stefany 0:27
Thank you for having me. I'm excited to discuss all these topics.
Bushra 0:32
Yes, thank you for taking time out of your day. And before we begin, I just want to make sure that I have your verbal consent to record this audio recording. And by by the way, you can revoke your consent at any time.
Stefany 0:50
Yes I consent, thank you for asking.
Bushra 0:52
Okay thank you. So this is cool. Just an overview of the main goal of this project is basically to highlight marginalized voices that are wrongfully spoken for or spoken over. So um, we're really glad to highlight, you know, BIPOC, queer and trans individuals who either wants to SMU or work there or are just a community member of Syracuse. So without further ado, the first question we have is, please tell me where and when you were born? If you're comfortable sharing?
Stefany 1:26
Yeah, um, my exact birthday, like I was born on February 2 2000, the 222. And I was born in Brooklyn, New York City, in a neighborhood called Bay Ridge. But then when I was eight to nine years old, I moved to Sunset Park, and I've been living here since then.
Bushra 1:49
Wow that’s pretty cool. I didn't even know that. So when did you come to terms with your like queer identity? And if you feel comfortable sharing ways you identify with?
Stefany 2:05
Yeah, um, I think it's, like, it's definitely changed throughout the years. So sexuality wise, I currently identify as queer pansexual. And gender wise, I currently identify as non binary. And I think, for sexuality, there's not like an exact date and time moment, but I would definitely say during high school, because during high school, well even before high school I think, like since elementary school, I started to notice even as young as six years old, like, I didn't really think about, or question or really, like, internally discuss my gender, but I definitely witnessed and experienced the way that others, you know, discussed or thought of me, or, you know, like, acted around me based on my gender, the gender that they perceive me as, which at the time, you know, was a girl. You know, early on is like, catcalling, and all of that even as young as like seven years old. And then when I was in high school, because of that, I definitely felt the pressure of like, high schoolers getting into relationships and the norm that like the normal relationships were man, woman, heterosexual, cisgender, all of that. And everybody around me just seem to be having sex even and be getting into relationships, having sex talking about, you know, like, man, woman, all of this, how exciting it is, how everybody's doing it at a young age, like how about you share your experience, and I genuinely had no interest in boys or men. However, that pressure in high school definitely did get to me. And I started, like experimenting, maybe you could say with men by either dating them. Yeah, and I do feel comfortable sharing that, you know, I did have sex with a man in high school. Because of that pressure, though. It wasn't any so much of like, I want to do this or this is a good time or some type of way about this person, but it was just let's see what this is about, to be honest. And I also felt like I didn't really have anybody to talk to because, like sex ed, especially queer and oh, yeah, was not in my high school was also not in my household coming from a Ecuadorian immigrant household was not spoken about. So yeah, so once I started experimenting and doing all of that, I realized, yeah, this is not for me. Yeah. So then as early as 14, I started like I joined a, I don't know if you've heard of the app called “her”?
Bushra 5:09
No.
Stefany 5:12
So basically, I joined that app. It was like a dating app. And at the time, it was 2014. And then I've had just been founded or created in 2013. So it was very early days, very early stages.
Bushra 5:26
Wow. You're on the early dating apps, the early days.
Stefany 5:32
Now, the app is huge. It's very well known. They have events in New York City and all of that, but it's totally changed.
Bushra 5:39
Was it like gay like for gay people? Yes,
Stefany 5:42
It's advertised as gay, lesbian, queer, only. Transgender, non binary, all that only. Yeah. So like, that's the reason that I joined that app. And then I just started experimenting with non men on the app. Definitely did some things that were not safe for sure. That I wouldn't do today. But definitely, the app and that whole experimenting helped me come to terms with my queerness. And help me just realize that being queer at the time, I like I thought that I wanted to identify as a gay or lesbian. So at the time, I thought to myself, you know, like, being gay or lesbian is not wrong, especially coming from like a Catholic household where it was definitely thought of as something that, you know, what, how all that. So that definitely helped me. But I will say that I didn't tell anybody, like literally nobody knew that I was doing this until I was sixteen. So for two years, I kind of just did everything in secret. And then I'd like a teen I, quote, unquote, came out to friends, and my parents and my brother and all of that.
Bushra 6:55
So yeah. That's so real thank you so much for sharing that. So like, what what was it like to grow up like queer, and alongside your family and friends who were like, largely where they had like, cishet? Like, let's say, Yeah, so like, how is? Do you think there was a lot of suppression within yourself? Like, as you mentioned, like, a bunch of that? Or did you piece it together? Like, you said, when you're all in high school, or did you have like, thoughts about it when you were like a small kid.
Stefany 7:29
Um, I definitely thought about it earlier. Like, I can remember maybe 11, 12. And, you know, to be transparent, I was also have, like, going through some like mental health stuff at that age, like depression, all that. So to come into this, like, inner conflict of not being heterosexual and not being sis at that, at that, at that time was just kind of like that cherry on top, for my mental health to kind of deteriorate. So, and I was going through other things, you know, personally, and all of that. So I actually ended up having a conversation with my brother the day before he left to France to study abroad, because he was in college, and I was in high school. And I told him, I quote unquote, came out to him. And at that time, when I when I came out to him, I identify as bisexual. So I told him, you know, like, bisexual, and literally that same second, he came out to me. And he was like, wow.
Bushra 8:28
Wow, really? You know, that's so special.
Stefany 8:36
Right? And I just yeah, like, I love my brother. He's definitely one of the few if not only men, who I love and trust dearly, then yeah. And then me and him actually told our parents about our sexuality, on what, you know, America calls Thanksgiving. So that went well I think, definitely, definitely, like the first months, my parents did not accept it. It was like a whole show. And yeah, I feel like for my mom, there was a lot of, from my perspective, at least it was taken in a tone or in a manner of kind of, like, discuss, like, like you like woman, like, what it even is that I don't know. She kind of just took it as in what Yeah, being like, I've never heard of this, like, what is this? How could you ever do that? And then from my dad's perspective, especially for my brother, as to people who identify as men in our community, it's like machismo. It was kind of a like, I failed you as a father to my son. Or because you're not this extremely masculine man who's abided by the patriarchal norms and all of that. So it's definitely a woman a disappointment. But currently things are better. I will say that my brother now identifies as gay. And yeah, he's just he's come a long way. I'm so proud of him. He sits connected his femininity, and yeah, it's beautiful.
Bushra 10:25
Wow, thank you for sharing that. I'm so glad to hear that. Things are better it it's hard to do that at a young age and navigate that with parents, especially. And, like, Are you a child of immigrants? Like, for example, like, does that also add another like barrier? Yeah, I was gonna say that's like, many barriers, like acting all at once. But did you feel like you had some support, like from your brother and like, some not like solidarity, but like having, you know, someone in the house who's also like, queer and like, queer identifying, did that help you in any way?
Stefany 11:09
For sure. Cause, the second before I told them that at the time, I was bisexual, I felt like extremely alone. And then they, he, he told me about his sexuality. I like no longer felt alone, it felt like a whole weight was just taken off of me. And even before we both told our parents together, we had created this plan, you know, if they did kick us out, like, my brother being the oldest, he was like, I have money saved up, like, don't worry, we're gonna be okay, you're gonna find a house, we're gonna find people. We're gonna find support, like just in case because because at that time, you just never knew what was going to happen.
Bushra 11:53
Wow. Yeah, that must be a different experience to have an older brother. And in some ways, I'm kind of glad that you have him. So that's really cool. I'm kind of gonna switch some gears here to now more of like your connection in Syracuse. And so like, how are you affiliated with Syracuse like, or Syracuse University it in any way?
Stefany 12:21
Yeah. I'm an alum now. So I just graduated, May of 2022.
Bushra 12:25
Congratulations!
Stefany 12:28
Thank you. I'm happy to be free.
Bushra 12:33
Yeah. So how was how was your role in Syracuse? Like, describe? Like, being a student? Were you also working? Or were you taking on other roles besides student? Yes,
Stefany 12:47
Um, I definitely think I had many different roles, depending on the on the space and the time period. Visuals pre COVID, I definitely had, I had multiple jobs, whatever I could work in, I was doing, I had like, two, three jobs. And then I was also doing classes and all of that. Because during my first semester, I actually had to pay out of pocket for tuition. So I was trying to do that, then COVID hit my, the end of my sophomore year. So then, because of that, I stopped working. And then I also like, yeah, I just came here to New York City because of some personal problems. But other than that, I feel like, like I said, my role just shifted in different spaces. Because in some spaces, I feel like I had the role of, like, resisting to what was happening on campus, to resisting to what was being spoken about in a classroom. In other spaces, I feel like I was more of a, of a listener, because maybe I didn't feel fully equipped to participate in a dialogue or to take up as much space as a non black person of color. Especially, or, yeah, as somebody Yeah, just depending on the space as somebody who doesn't have like a disability also. So just depending on the space, sometimes I step back, sometimes I stepped up, it really just depended, but overall, I feel like I definitely played a role of resisting to what Syracuse University is advertised to be.
Bushra 14:21
Yeah, absolutely. Which I don't 1,000% Yeah. So when did you sort of like feel, you know, this, like, were you always on campus and like, hyper aware about the colonial and like, Imperial structures that the university upholds or like, like, did being queer, like play a role in like your.. I don't know, I guess like thoughts, like against the university and like, in your resisting, like, did your queerness play a role and like, were other queer people around you? Is that thing with you?
Stefany 14:54
Yeah. I mean, yes, I did feel like I was aware Because I went to, like I was born and raised in New York City, I went to school here in New York City. And during my high school years, I started getting more involved in organizations were particularly, based for, like New York City school segregation. So that introduction to those conversations into those spaces, really, you know, just gotten used to, like the terminology and the ideologies of classism, elitism, capitalism, all of these systems of oppression that Syracuse University, from my perspective embodies. So definitely stepping into that space, I kind of, in a way knew what I was signing up for. So I knew that I wasn't going to just go in there and be like, I don't know, just moving subconsciously or moving complacently, because, yeah, that just wasn't me. And then especially during, like, #NotAgainSU, definitely being in those spaces, but also in classrooms with folks who, who look like me, who also identified as queer because I was taking some queer, like, gender and sexuality classes at that time. So definitely having community in, in classrooms was definitely really important to show up as I am, but also to have again, those dialogues and yeah, like, those classrooms were especially important during those times, because in some other classrooms, I was the only person of color. Right? in those classrooms. I wasn't the only person who identified a certain way.
Bushra 16:37
Yeah, it's wild how this university you really be the only person of color and multiple classes and they just go about it as if that's a normal occurrence, you know, and when certain things come up, they'll just like, turn to you and like, awkwardly, like stare, like this is like the role of being a POC, at like a PWI. And it's just so I don't know what the word is for, but it's just like a it's a fever dream. Like, it's just so weird. So yeah, definitely, even with #NotAgainSU, as you said, and for our listeners who don't know, like, it's like a protest movement that started in November 2019, basically, a group of black students fighting institutional racism as Syracuse University and also holding accountable the admin of the university who has obviously been complacent and playing an active role in, in the violence and, you know, sweeping under the rug of the many racist incidents that take place, like every single day, with the assistance of the you know, campus police and all these names, you know, all these arms are, like, helping them. So, all these things are good to keep in mind, but it's a lot of weight to carry, you know, so how much weight can we can we carry is sometimes the question, you know, but how have you dealt with in resection of oppression here at SU like, you know, what, with your like, race, gender, sexual orientation, etc? Do you want to dive into that? And also feel free to say no,
Stefany 18:16
yeah, no, definitely. I was also a sociology major. So I think that that also helped in finding people who were also going to do these things, because I took classes on basically all of those, like, right there sexuality. Yeah. Love being a sociology major took all of those. Yeah. So definitely finding community was definitely a huge one, especially the class that I know you've taken to with Easton and Jersey. SOC 230 I'm sorry, while I think it's 230, but I know it's Easton and Jersey. So those classrooms and having them as professors definitely helped me a lot, because I could definitely see the difference in taking a sociology course, where the professor was, cishet white. And I can see the difference in even just the readings that they assigned. The authors, I can see the difference in the way that they unpacked the topics the way that they talked about, like possible solutions, the way that they talked about the local community, and then going into classrooms where the teachers were not white. Were not heterosexual, were not cishet. And then just I could literally feel the difference in the energies between what was happening in the classroom and I felt a level of safety in the classrooms that we live in the classrooms where the students and the professors, shared identities with myself, I felt safe and for me, I've also realized that community and safety kind of go hand in hand for me, because if I don't feel safe somewhere I feel like I can't be my most authentic, truest self.
Bushra
Absolutely.
Stefany
And in being my most authentic, true self, it's really like embodying and living, and being honest about all those identities and how I'm coping with them how they affect me. So, yeah, definitely, the different types of classes, the workload and the community, in the spaces are what helped me cope with that, in, like in Syracuse, and Easton and Jersey’s class was the class that I was in when, like, #NotAgainSU was also happening. So that's why they also had a very large impact on my just entire being at that time.
Bushra 20:42
Wow. That's crazy. I didn't even know that. I yeah, I also took their class during like, the election season. So I think but time period that you take the class, and also, it has a different effect, depending on you know, what's happening. But yeah, thank you so much for sharing that I also, yeah, Intergroup Dialogue is like the only course that really challenged my thinking of, you know, binaries of our, you know, our country, and of our role in it in many different ways, in similar and different ways. And I've already been thinking, so having these classes are so beneficial, but it's like, so, there's so limited, you know, there's not many classes that really do this, and especially by the people that is it should be led by, you know, actual black and brown community members who have experienced in like, like building community, like the ways Easton and Jersey, you know, set a classroom up and like, make sure everyone's needs are heard, like set community guidelines. I've never seen that done in a classroom before. And they're like, if we did that, if we set guidelines for each other and our expectations for each other, then I feel like a lot of people would get more out of the experience, versus like some people getting out of it and like others not. But you know, who are we right? And like where we did so educators shouted at educate? So that's a different conversation.
Stefany 22:04
Yeah But definitely shout out Easton and Jersey, because yeah, I'm always talking about though I love them.
Bushra 22:09
Yes. Oh, my God, that's so good to hear. I also work with them. And like, always asking about you, and you know, stuff like that. So that's cool. Um, so what wisdom would you like to bestow upon future generations of queer and non queer listeners of this oral history? That's a heavy, that's a heavy load. It's not even the last question. But it's, it's one. So
Stefany 22:39
Yeah. I mean, maybe it's the Aquarius in me. I don't know. I'm just like, especially as the years pass, I feel like there's more socially created labels for everything. And, you know, everybody has their own experience with them. And I feel like, if it's helpful to some, then hey, do it go off? That that's for you. But for me, I feel like it's just been helpful to not really worry about the labels not really worry about like, where do I fit in? Where do I now put in all the pressure of having to do something a certain way, look a certain way, and, of course, to certain limitations, but just kind of moving with intention rather than expectation. I think I think that's definitely something that I would say. And also just I know, it's easier said than done, but just be true, that just like be the truest and most genuine person than you can be to yourself, because, of course, community. But also, yeah, just like this, like even when I was just talking about in high school, like the pressure of having to do what other people want you to do, or the pressure of just having to mere a certain society, like norm or expectation, can really just have you living a life that others have designed for you, instead of you taking back that agency or self power to live the life that you decide and consciously choose to live, and choose to walk every day. So I think that there's a lot of just general power in consciousness. I mean, that's a deeper conversation, but I'll just say that there's, there's a power in consciousness. So I feel like one of my goals in my lifetime is to definitely create more spaces to increase critical consciousness in a variety of ways. So I think, definitely just dive deeper into your consciousness dive deeper into the person that you really want to be the truest self and don't really worry too much about all these labels and all these things society sets up for you because most of them if not all, are not made for you So, create your own. Okay. Yeah.
Bushra 25:04
It really doesn't matter at the end of the day like, you know, it's just wild how um yeah. All these labels and carry categorizations. With the word categorizations, yes. Okay. Yeah. That's a big word. Yeah. So all these things, I mean, it's a lot to unlearn, especially as a queer person of color like, and taking self accountability in these things is also a lot of work on internal work you don't, but with having people around you that are also like, aligns with what you're trying to do also helps. Though, yeah, definitely shout out to queer community and stuff like that. All these things that keep us going. Yep. So like, so tell me like, what, what is home to you? And like, how do you navigate finding a home now that you're a post grad? And like, you're sort of kind of in between transitioning, like, from having a structured routine from four years to kind of developing your own? Like, are you navigating this?
Stefany 26:11
I mean, like you said, this is, this is kind of a very, a lot of, I don't know, a lot of words describe this phase of life. Um, I think I'm definitely building that home still. But I definitely know that a part of what home means for me, is like, safety, community. Transparency. Yeah, because I think that in and also home, for me is also like, I was just mentioning with consciousness, just finding my way back to the person that I was, but not so it was anymore, because more so in the present, but like I am, without all of the layers that society or other people like my parents, or teachers, or neighbors, or whoever, kind of like, painted onto me in a way, just kind of peeling all of those layers off. And finding my way back home is something that I'm doing right now, even with like reconnecting with my indigenous roots. I feel like that's also a way of finding my self and finding my way back home. And then, like, in a literal, physical world sense, also, going back to visit Ecuador, because I feel like much of myself that I may not even know yet isn't Ecuador, and I know that I will, I will feel it. And I will embody that once I go and actually step back onto the land that that created me. So we're still working on it.
Bushra 27:56
Yeah, that's beautiful. And it is hard when you when you have many parts of you many homes to you, that you may not know about or are still finding out about so that is a beautiful thing. So I'm gonna, I'm glad you have many sort of different spaces that you can consider home and you can also make a home. Exactly. So wherever like you said, it's about the consciousness but yeah, so among like, endless, like systemic oppression, obviously. What are some ways that you cope? I know you said you touch in with your indigenous roots and like, what what are some other ways that you find yourself coping?
Stefany 28:47
That's also something that I'm definitely navigating and learning about. In something that like, sounds so simple, but isn't for me, at least as you know, like an immigrant like child of immigrant parents and this whole false illusion of American dream and having all of that in the household to have just asking for help. Like, well, but it's it may not be to actually do that. Especially because like in the past more so for myself, I kind of just wanted to do everything for other people, but didn't do anything for myself. Like I was that person that I don't know, like I have $1 in my pocket, if that means I'll be left with $0 and I'll give you the dollar However, now I definitely acknowledge that I need to take care of myself in order to take care of others. And yeah, in like another way that I cope with all of that is also like, like, like I was just saying reconnecting with indigenous roots, and just storytelling witnessing cat During moments that bring joy to me or bring happiness or maybe define that home defined community and any other ways, and then also definitely being in physical spaces with community, that definitely helps me cope because it's just, it can feel so lonely when I don't know like, emotions of anger or rage or sadness or grief come up, but definitely having others who are going through similar things or have the same feelings. Instead, especially coming from a PWI like Syracuse were obvious. Obviously, it's predominantly white. So it's not that easy to connect to people sometimes that is you being a person of color. Weird. So now transitioning my life engineering city, I find that it's a bit more easy to find folks who relate to me because there are there's like a large queer community here. There's a large, like, bipoc community here. Yeah. So yeah,
Bushra 31:09
I'm like, not rich to like being around, you know, like, people who have money and like the classism and elitism also shapes, like, how you move around campus, you know, like, it's just weird. So I'm glad that you are in a different space and still finding more spaces. So what are you what are like some things that bring you joy, you can just name a bunch of things, or hobbies.
Stefany 31:41
I don't know about hobbies. Right now. Like I said, this, this this phase of my life is kind of finding new hobbies in a way, especially with COVID, COVID has played a great impact on my community who I'm around what I'm doing all of that, but things that bring me joy are definitely literally being community. Yeah. Doing the labor, of course, but even just just being around at the community, and, you know, folks helping each other out. Just providing like education to other people providing like, just any needs to other folks that definitely brings brings me joy, for sure. And then connecting with the land definitely brings me joy to Yeah, like, I'm definitely that person that if you imagine a huge just land of grass and trees, I'm that person is laying in the middle of their little kid just in the grass, just talking to the clouds. And just literally admiring life, I feel like something as simple as that just brings me so much joy. And I'm also that person that you will see just talking to the trees. And we're just having conversation there. Because that makes me feel connected to and that makes me joy. So yeah.
Bushra 33:11
And that is important to you know, like, taking care of and connecting with the land that you're on. And this is not just like, something that's here, you know, like, and you're just was a walk on and stuff like no, you know, so that's but that's a whole other conversation. Okay. Yeah. Thank you for for sharing that. We have a few questions left, if you don't mind. Right. Yeah. I guess like what what places did you feel most accepted? And who is near you like who? Like, besides family members, then I guess you can incorporate your time at SU UB Santa. So. Okay,
Stefany 33:58
so with who were in what places that I feel more accepted by?
Bushra 34:03
Yes. Okay. Yes. And who are you around? Like, who is around you? Um,
Stefany 34:12
Definitely my like, when I was at Syracuse. With classrooms Easton and Jersey, we already mentioned that. But other than that, like in the home of the like my roommates, definitely my room. They were not my blood family, but I still consider them like a chosen family in a sort of way. Especially because like for one of them. It was just the first time that I really developed like a deep connection with somebody who is queer and is also non binary. And also from New York City and all of that. So that was definitely special to me because I just felt wholeheartedly safe and wholeheartedly be able to be myself and we were kind of just just going through the process of you know, unlearning and reconnecting with our inner child, and this whole consciousness journey to. So that definitely was important for my journey of growth. And yeah, even just yesterday, I was reflecting, I was like, if I hadn't have met those people, I don't have no idea who I would be today at all. Like, not in a good way or bad way. But just, I just really just don't know what the outcome would have been if it would have been the other way. And then, as far as like on Syracuse University campus, physically, I don't. Because like I said, COVID kind of hit my sophomore year, so I kind of only had a year and a half to explore it. So I don't know if there was a physical like office space or physical space where I felt safer around people. Other than just that one classroom, I would definitely say. Sorry, I also wish that I would have explored, like other resources on campus during my time there, because I took so I don't think that I like I took advantage of everything. So that's a that may be one of the reasons why I can't really speak much to any specific places on campus.
Bushra 36:17
That makes sense, that totally makes sense. And so what are some ways that you resist like, hetero patriarchy? Or like what people tell you? And this could be on a regular basis, you know, or like, or not? Yeah,
Stefany 36:33
Um, I mean, I think my entire being is just a form of resistance. Because I don't think I follow the norms of being obviously I'm not heterosexual. Right. And then I'm non binary. So I don't follow us with like in vendor, just the gender binaries, what society puts as norms in forms of like a tie, like what you wear, when you look right, like my head, is shaved. So that's, there's that the way that I dress, I just kind of wake up and do what I want to do to be completely. I may want to, I don't know, put on some makeup and like platforms. But other days, I don't like it don't want to do that. And I just want to go in shopping the quote unquote, men's section. But also, why do we have to have these men's and women's section I just be closed.
Bushra 37:36
And it's just really weird. I feel like queer people have to over explain our existence, but we're just being regular, like, you know, we're just doing regular things that everybody else is doing, but we're just way more comfortable with ourselves, and like, be true to ourselves. So it was interesting to see that.
Stefany 37:56
I really think that's the beauty of not being to one side of these binaries. It's really just about the freedom. And I say this all the time, freedom is really just one of my love languages. Because I just freed of my people for everything.
Bushra 38:13
My people for real, you know what, that's a really good point. Because if you're not with, like, you know, this freedom stuff, like, for real, then you're getting left behind, like, like, you know what I mean? And I think that goes to like, finding your chosen family and like finding people for you. Like, you have to really think about your own, like morals and your own values and like, see what's really for that, because some people are not and some people really are and the people that are will really stick beside you and show you that, you know, they are family and like, these things are what, keep queer people here, you know, and, like, so it's important to like know that too, though. Yeah. Okay, so let's see whether, well, I guess, anything else? Like? Would you like to add anything else about your overall experience in the queer? Like, as a queer person in Syracuse, or do you have anything you want to over emphasize? I'm
Stefany 39:19
just trying to rethink like the last four years, I think I feel like COVID Also just took a lot of the experience of actually being queer person on campus, for sure. Sin. My sophomore year, you know, COVID, my junior year, I spent New York City and then my senior year I spent basically at home. So I didn't really spend much time on campus. I which is definitely, I mean, not much to my experience, but if I could contribute any day, I was just wanting to see more spaces like physical spaces on campus, with the queer community specifically bipoc non binary trans. For folks To be able to find those chosen families, because I was able to find mine during Summer Start. So that wasn't really even on campus yet, technically, by Munster, SummerStart, so yeah, just creating more safe spaces, and also community led spaces. So student led spaces, not so much. Having this hierarchy or authority of, you know, teacher, or higher ups, whatever it may be, but really just giving the power to the folks who the spaces are going to be for at the end of the day.
Bushra 40:37
Yeah, that's definitely a good point, and in universities and in all spaces. So definitely, thank you for that. Thank you for your continuous work and community contributions. And thank you for taking time out of your day to be interviewed. I hope you enjoyed this. Yeah.
Stefany 40:58
I'm excited for this for this podcast for this archive and let me know let me know what the next plans are. I'm always here to help our to be a part of anything.
Bushra 41:09
Okay, thank you so much. Well, you'll you'll be published soon. So that's kind of like official, you'll like hear us talking on our websites. And so that thank you for for your time and I hope that everything goes well for you and your career and like non career wise. All right.
Stefany 41:31
Thank you. Same for you wishing the best for you and everybody working on this project.