A Gender Affirming Clothing Swap was put on in the fishbowl of the Keene State Student Center by the Office of Student Diversity, Belonging, and Equity (OSDBE) on Wednesday, April 10.
The swap was mainly run by senior Nat Wood, student assistant in the Cultral Center, with help from the office’s coordinator Darrien Waugh.
Waugh said, “This was pretty much Nat’s idea, they were the main orchestrator behind it … For me, being the coordinator for the office, whatever the student workers want to do they come up with it and run with it and I’ll be there to support you and that’s exactly what Nat did with this.”
Wood noted they helped host Trans Week of Visibility in 2021 and that that was the first time they had put on a Clothing Swap.
Wednesday’s Swap was also put on as a part of Trans Visibility Week and was to be held April 3 which followed the annual International Transgender Day of Visibility, celebrated March 31. Because of severe winter weather conditions the event was pushed to Wednesday, April 10,according to an April 2, OSDBE Instagram post.
The event, which lasted from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., was for all students, said Wood. “Clothing has no gender, so we just let people kind of enjoy and pick out what they want,” Wood said. “It’s for anyone, it’s not just for trans people, because anyone can be affirmed in their gender.”
The clothing brought to the event was donated by students as well as leftovers from previous swaps.
“[The Cultural Center] had bins in the basement that I believe came from the Thrifty Owl and we’ve had donations from students over the years from past clothing swaps.”
Waugh said,, “It was easy. They were labeled, I grabbed them, brought them over, and put them on the tables.” He noted that, while it was the first time the college had put on a Clothing Swap while he was in the coordinator position, it was extremely simple to put on.
When asked how the turnout was for the event, Wood replied “It’s about what I expected. There’s lulls, some people show up because they just see you walking by; I’ve noticed an uptick typically when classes get out. I think it’s a great turnout.”
Wood also describes why it was such an important event for them to put on this school year.
“I really wanted to make sure we had Trans Week of Visibility because of everything that’s been happening, not only in the state but also in the country as a whole. It’s nerve wracking, we want to make sure students here feel comfortable and know that they are welcomed no matter how they identify.” They continued, “That’s why I put on these events is because having just some sort of visibility even if people don’t attend, knowing that there are events like these happening can help students feel like, ‘oh my gosh, I am welcomed here, as someone who is trans on campus.’”
McKenzie French can be contacted at
mfrench@kscequinox.com
