In the Spring of 2023, the newly founded Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies Student Union hit the ground running with a tabling event on the Bryan Center plaza. The students behind the Union’s first initiative aimed to survey the Duke community about their GSF-related interests. To do so, they set up a poster board in the plaza on a busy day and asked passers-by, primarily other students, what GSF topics most interested them. Over the course of a few hours, the poster board accumulated post-it notes with a wide variety of topics and questions. Students’ interests centered around a few main themes: intersectionality, LGBTQ+ and women’s rights, reproductive health and rights, and wage inequality. Members of the GSF Student Union felt that gleaning a better understanding of students’ interests would allow them to shape future initiatives accordingly.
After a hiatus during the fall semester, the GSF student union has returned this spring with 10 new members and plans for myriad events and initiatives. The new members consist of GSF majors, minors, and students who have taken GSF courses. During their first official meeting of the semester, the students discussed goals for the Union. The group collectively decided to provide a student-run and student-oriented safe space, focus on combatting stereotypes about GSF, promote intersectionality, and establish mentorship programs and build on what we are learning in the classroom. Within the next month, the Student Union plans to organize its first official event, which will consist of an open question and answer session with the Union’s members and faculty about issues connected to gender, sexuality, and feminism. Members of the Student Union are looking forward to future initiatives and continued partnership with the GSF faculty.
If you are interested in joining the union, please contact us at gsfs@duke.edu.