As the Queer Resource Center enters its fourth year of operation, the possibility of renaming the Center has come up in discussions by the Advisory Board, staff, and individuals that utilize our space and resources. We commissioned an online survey and three interest sessions to gather input from students, staff, faculty, and community members on their experiences and opinions about the name of the QRC.

Our online survey posted many responses to the questions we posed, and the interest sessions provided many individuals with the opportunity to provide input. Based on the combined response, we have decided to begin the process of selecting a new name for the Queer Resource Center.

As part of our goal to make this process as inclusive and transparent as possible, we have included below a summarization of the main points that individuals made during the past three weeks as we were gathering input from the community we serve.

Some positive responses to our current name:

• After some initial uncomfortable feelings with using the name, some have grown to embrace and like the word.
• The present name reflects hard work and dedication by community members in identifying a name that could include all members of our community.
• The current name is attention catching and brings recognition of the Center to many communities.
• Our current name is simple, clear, inclusive, and a part of the community, and is unambiguous in describing the community we serve.
• The word ‘Queer’ reflects the strides the community has made in gaining acceptance from others, and reclaiming the word is easier with the Center using it.
• The name can be used as an educational tool with people who are not accustomed to using the word ‘Queer.’

Some negative responses to our current name:

• Using the word ‘Queer’ in the name can create a barrier to access for many people:
• Even after fifteen years of reclaiming, ‘Queer’ has still not gained popular acceptance.
• ‘Queer’ is generational, regional, and changes meaning depending on the context it is put into.
• It can be a very polarizing and politicizing word that doesn’t include allies or members of our community who have an intense dislike for the word ‘Queer.’
• Those who are just coming out can have difficulty with identifying with the term ‘Queer,’ limiting the utilization of our resources at a critical time in their development.
• Many people view the word as still meaning 'odd, different, unusual, peculiar, not normal,' which can prevent an inclusive mindset.
• The current name sounds too ‘clinical’ and doesn’t necessarily create the image of a place people want to visit or seek services from.

Some thoughts on changing the name:

• We will probably offend someone regardless of what name is chosen as a replacement for the QRC.
• We should be mindful of allies.
• It will give us a chance to promote our services and educational components as we move into our new space.
• Changing the name would open up the Center to wider participation by students, staff, faculty, and community members.
• If the name changes, it should still be easy to find and recognize for queer and questioning students and other community members who are new to the area, or new to understanding the queer community.
• Changing the name would demonstrate growth in the community and a maturation of the students.

Before we continue, however, the QRC Coordinators would like to make it clear that Queer is a legitimate identity for many individuals, and this process is not meant to diminish or exclude Queer-identified people from using our Centers’ resources. We are committed to provide support services and programs for anyone exploring issues related to sexual orientation, sex, and gender at Oregon State University, and we feel that renaming the Center will allow us to connect with more individuals who don’t feel included by the current name.

As the next step in this process, we have created a voting form with a list of names that have been gathered over the past three weeks.

The results of the voting will be collected on Wednesday, May 26th and presented to the Queer Resource Center Advisory Board. The Advisory Board will take the input we have gathered to synthesize a new name for the QRC.

We would like to thank everyone who responded to our initial survey, and look forward to your continued input i n this important discussion.

~Andi Charlton & Luke Sugie