LGBTQ+
Click on images to enlarge.
The past few years have seen a rise in the attempted suppression and demonization of trans and queer people. Of 637 anti-trans bills active in 2024, 466 have failed, while 46 have passed and 125 are still active (as of 8/2024). Internationally, transness and queerness have been the target of violent right-wing panic - it can be scary to exist in society as a trans person and/or queer person!
Illinois, however, is one of the safest states for queer people and has a strong history of trans protections. UChicago stubbornly continues to uphold systems of power and privilege that marginalize queer and trans students, but we have and will continue to find ways to proudly exist and thrive on campus!
UChicago queers first officially organized in 1969 with the UChicago Gay Liberation Front (GLF). Founded by two undergraduate students, the GLF was able to, among other things, organize a 600 person dance party in Pierce Hall, after which queer people were legally allowed to dance together in Chicago. In 2004, the first single-occupancy gender-neutral bathrooms were introduced on campus, and by 2017 it was determined that all forms had to have at least one gender-neutral bathroom. In 2019, all single-user bathrooms were designated as gender-neutral. In 2018, the Center for Identity and Inclusion (CI+I) opened with specific resources for queer students, among other groups as well. Today, queer groups across campus are focused on continuing the legacy of activism and fostering community in an antagonistic environment.
On-campus Resources
Name/pronoun changes within UChicago systems: Students can change their names and pronouns in my.uchicago.edu. However, official documentation still requires and bears your legal name and sex. You also cannot choose multiple pronouns on my.uchicago.edu. The Center for Gender and Sexuality has a helpful guide on name changes!
Bathrooms: There are gender-neutral bathrooms in every house in every dorm. Here is a list of gender-neutral bathrooms on campus.
Center for Identity and Inclusion (CI+I): The CI+I hosts affinity spaces, speakers, and mentorship programs, and is the first-line contact for queer students that have experienced housing discrimination on the basis of gender or sexuality. They also have information about LGBTQ+ resources, including resources specifically for trans students.
Center for Gender and Sexuality Studies (CGSS): CGSS offers academic and vocational support, with resources for lecturers, fellowships, internships, etc.
Student Wellness: Student Wellness is one way to access gender-affirming healthcare and sexual health resources. Basic Student Wellness appointments are free for students and they take USHIP and many other insurances if there is a cost associated with your particular need. They can help provide:
PrEP HIV prevention
Vaccines
Screening and treatment for sexually transmitted infections
Birth control/contraception
Referrals to UChicago Medicine for hormone replacement therapy, gender-affirming surgery, OB/GYN care, and referrals to the infectious diseases clinic for anal health,
UChicago Medicine: UChicago Medicine is a UChicago-affiliated hospital that takes USHIP and many other insurances. UChicago Medicine has a specific Trans CARE clinic and provides:
Hormone replacement therapy (estrogen and testosterone)
Gender-affirming surgery, including
top surgery (mastectomy)
phalloplasty and a variety of 'masculinizing' bottom surgeries
hysterectomy (removal of the uterus)
breast augmentation
vaginoplasty and a variety of 'feminizing' bottom surgeries
facial feminization surgery
voice feminization surgery
There are two queer RSOs on campus, the Organization for LGBTQ+ Students (OLS) and UChicago+ (primarily a Discord server). While these can be great and meaningful spaces for queer students to build community, these organizations do not necessarily align with radical values and do not always feel welcoming to all queer students, particularly queer students of color. Student organizing spaces on campus tend to be very queer-identifying and invested in queer liberation. You will inevitably find queer community through involvement in student organizing spaces. Come hang out with us!
Off-campus resources
Howard Brown: Howard Brown is a health clinic on 55th Street and Lake Park Drive (about a 15 minute walk from campus) with a variety of health services and a focus on trans and queer healthcare. They take USHIP and a variety of other insurances, and can provide:
Sexual and reproductive health services (walk-in) including STI testing and treatment
PrEP and PEP (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis - a medication you can within 72 hours after a possible HIV exposure to prevent an HIV infection)
Hormone therapy prescriptions
OB/GYN care, including birth control, all-options pregnancy testing/counseling, and cervical cancer screenings
Free syringes through a syringe exchange program and Narcan/safer substance use kits
Primary care services
Sliding-scale group therapy and substance use counseling services
Legal name/gender marker change: Thanks to a recently passed bill, you can now change your legal name and gender marker while in Illinois regardless of what state you are from! The Transformative Justice Law Project of Illinois provides free legal assistance in navigating the name change process.
Information about transitioning and healthcare
Map of informed consent clinics in Chicago
How to grow hair without T zine
Peer-reviewed guide to transfemme healthcare
Hormone therapy strategies for nonbinary people
Queer spaces and organizations
Pushing Envelopes builds community with LGBTQ+ incarcerated folks through penpal relationships, legal aid, and re-entry support
Brave Space Alliance is a Black-led, trans-led LGBTQ+ center on the South Side, located in Hyde Park.
Transformative Justice Law Project of IL provides legal services and support for poor and street-based transgender people in Illinois, as well as does advocacy and education for prison abolition, gender self-determination, and transformative justice
Queering the Map is a grassroots digital archive of queer experiences in relation to physical space
Directory of safe restrooms for trans and non-binary people
TransLifeline is a 24/7 crisis and peer support hotline run by and for trans people that does NOT work with the police and has a great resource library
Queery is a Chicagoland LGBTQ+ services directory
