Did you know that DMACC has an LGBTQ club? They’re called Rainbow Alliance, and is, for lack of a better term, a safe haven. A sanctuary if you will.
The club is mostly a place for LGBTQ students to have a safe space to socialize with their fellow students. Like a lot of clubs here at DMACC, Rainbow Alliance is student-run. The focus is on students that are LGBTQ and allies and gives them a way to make connections and find each other.
Rainbow Alliance isn’t just a place for students to hang out and socialize. They sometimes do various volunteer projects: National Coming Out Day, Day of Silence, And Transgender Day of Remembrance. They even have participated in the Des Moines Pride Parade.
The club has been around for about 10-15 years. Speech Professor Karen Christiansen, the faculty advisor for the club, has been in her role for seven years. Back when she came on, it went by the name of LGBTQ club.
Given that it is an LGBTQ club, there is a bit of a political aspect to it: the rights of LGBTQ people, especially Trans people, have come under attack throughout the United States in recent years. So naturally, there is a sense of worry among LGBTQ students, especially those in the Alliance of how their lives will be affected by politicians. The Alliance however is not a political club. Their purpose is to give students a safe place to get away from those kinds of stresses. As Christiansen puts it, “it’s really just meant to be a club to kind of support the community.”
As for the club’s future, Rainbow Alliance hopes to get to a point where they host conferences or meetups. Maybe with the other DMACC campuses or even other schools. And there are also talks of the Alliance having what is going to be called an “Affinity Space,” where LGBTQ students can go to meetings for the Alliance meetings, or just have a quiet spot to study or hang out.
And where can you find the club? Rainbow Alliance meets Mondays at 12:15 p.m. in room 1214 in Building 5.
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