Hello to all the snails and humans out there! Podette and I want to wish everyone a happy belated pride month. As queer snails on campus, we wanted to talk about our experiences at Amherst. I am also a Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies (SWAGS) major, so I am excited to share some of my classroom experiences in the field of queer studies as well.
In my experience, being queer is not seen as out of the ordinary at Amherst. I was worried about not fitting in or being seen as different because of my identity. Instead, I’ve found that most people don’t bat an eye when I talk about my queer identity or share my pronouns. Amherst has a pretty sizable queer population, and I’ve found a lot of queer students and professors that I can talk to. In addition, there are so many wonderful allies that make Amherst a very welcoming place.
There are also specific resources available for queer students on campus. The Queer Resource Center (QRC) in Keefe Campus Center is one of my favorite places to hang out. They have a massive collection of queer books and movies to borrow, and there was even a queer book club last semester! I often study in the QRC between classes or while I’m eating lunch from Grab N’ Go.
The QRC also provides a lot of gender affirming resources that are available to all students. There is a free closet with different clothes, binders, and paddings that you can use. I like using all the nail polishes and makeup supplies they have to offer.
The QRC also hosts a lot of different events throughout the year. Although these events typically center queer culture, non-queer students are always invited to attend. My favorite event last semester was the spring drag show! The event was held in the Powerhouse (one of our main performance venues on campus) and featured drag performers from Western Massachusetts. The audience was so engaged and supportive.
In addition to Chemistry, I am majoring in Sexuality, Women’s, and Gender Studies (SWAGS). The classes I’ve taken have changed the way I view my own identity. Most of my classes have been small, seminar style classes with a focus on discussion. Amherst’s SWAGS classes are often intersectional and examine queerness in the context of other identities. I am dying to take “Black and Queer Agency in World War II Military Performance” with Professor Caldwell-O’Keefe sometime next year.
Next semester, Podette and I are planning to take “Bildungsroman,” a class about coming of age narratives. Because this class is cross-listed in both English and SWAGS, “Bildungsroman” will count towards both of our majors. Podette is even thinking about adding SWAGS as her second major because a lot of the classes she wants to take are cross-listed with SWAGS.
Even though Pride month is coming to an end, we will be celebrating our queerness year round. Stay tuned for more updates from your favorite snails!
Podette and Shelloise is a new blog series run by Finley Liu ‘27, the human roommate. Podette and Shelloise are two crochet snails that Finley got from a very talented artist from the class of 2024. You can send any and all snail mail to fliu27@amherst.edu!