LGBT people of color are often double- or triple-minorities and suffer from higher rates of discrimination and homophobia, and new student organization Qroma is seeking to improve the quality of life and offer support for LGBT students of color on campus.
LGBT organization One Colorado reported that about 43 percent of LGBT people of color reported anti-LGBT employment discrimination compared to 38 percent of white LGBT people. It also said about 26 percent of LGBT people of color reported doctors and health care workers refusing to provide services to them, compared to 20 percent of white LGBT people.
These are only some of the disparities that inspired kinesiology junior Erefaka Derefaka, psychology senior Courtland Douglas, biochemistry junior Megan Gilliam and sociology junior Asia Cleggett to form Qroma.
“For minority students who also identify as queer, you have an increased suicide rate, drug use and homelessness. We want to address those things that are a true concern so people understand that after college there is a way to not get into that,” Gilliam said.
Next spring will be Qroma’s first semester as an official organization on campus. First, Qroma would like to have panels and open forums addressing the concerns it has for LGBT students of color on campus.
“It’s not often that you find someone who is gay and they are black, Middle Eastern or Hispanic,” Douglas said. “So definitely offering a circle of support where people can talk to one another about the kinds of issues that they may face.”
Several organizations on campus have been supportive of Qroma, including Spectrum. Courtney Murr, Secretary of Spectrum, said she sees the need for an LGBT organization specifically for minority students.
“I think it sometimes can be hard for queer students of color to feel accepted in environments where it’s predominately white queer students. Diversity is important in any environment and I understand their need for that space,” Murr said.
Douglas attended a Spectrum event for the first time last year and was alarmed by the underrepresentation of nonwhite members and leaders within the group. He said he initially thought a branch specifically for people of color within Spectrum would solve this problem, but he came to realize this wouldn’t solve the issue.
“It in itself is a different struggle,” Douglas said. “It should be something that deserves a separate entity. You begin to think maybe a branch would be just a side thing and maybe you still wouldn’t be listening to the issues.”
Derefaka said Qroma is about giving queer students of color a better outlet, because as a student, it was something she didn’t have.
“We wanted to do something geared toward getting queer people of color involved in something they can have,” Derefaka said.
The organization also will have a non profit sector, headed by Cleggett, who is currently a student at Loyola University.
Cleggett said having never gone to a public school and being in religious spaces as a queer person of color, it was hard to find her place.
One Colorado also reported about 30 percent of people of color and 17 percent of white LGBT people reported harassment and discrimination in their place of worship last year.
“As a overarching non profit, we would be able to branch out to different universities, both secular and religious, and target queer people of color there,” Cleggett said.
Qroma has already reached out to other universities, including Southern University, about starting organizations for LGBT students of color.
Derefaka said students at Southern University currently are at a standstill and unable to start an LGBT student organization there.
Qroma hopes its presence will offer minorities at the University a safe place and a resource for support.
“There’s so many queer people of color out there who haven’t found that sense of home where they can connect to, but I want Qroma to be that place for them,” Derefaka said. “That place where they feel comfortable enough to talk about the things that they’re struggling with.”

Gallery • 3 Photos

Karen Welsh

Qroma members (from left to right) Biochemistry junior Megan Gilliam, psychology senior Courtland Douglas, and Kinesiology junior Erefaka Derefaka.