New USU club encourages exploring identities

A new club at Utah State University aims to create a space for LGBTQ+ students to explore their spirituality. 

Queer Christian Initiative, or QCI, officially became a USU club in spring 2023.  

“The goal is to provide a space for queer students of faith and allies to explore the intersection of their spiritual and queer identity and how these identities can work together,” said Morgan Boase, the secretary of QCI. “Finding a space where you know you won’t be judged for your identity or your religious beliefs and being able to discuss how those two can kind of work together in your life and not necessarily be two separate things has helped me.”  

Becka Fagerburg, community liaison and board member of QCI, said growing up, there were times she felt like experiences with her religion and the LGBTQ+ community felt polarizing.  

“I felt like I was getting messages from both spaces saying you couldn’t be queer and religious,” Fagerburg said. “You kind of have to be either all or nothing, and that’s not how I wanted to live my life.”  

Fagerburg said when she found out QCI was coming to USU, she cried.  

“It was just such a relief to me that there would be a space with people who were going through the same things I was and who had the same lived experience as me,” she said.  

Boase said while belonging to the LGBTQ+ community and also dealing with feelings from their religious upbringing, it was hard to try and reconcile faith with identity.  

“I wanted to have a community and a space where I could explore that without feeling judgment from either side,” Boase said.  

Fagerburg said QCI is not a replacement for either queer or religious spaces.  

“We still love and really appreciate those queer and religious spaces and all they bring, and we’re not the alternative to that,” Fagerburg said. “We’re just expanding the pool of thought.” 

Boase said one way QCI will provide a safe space for students is by hosting spiritual and social activities each month.  

“We’re planning on doing a seminar series at the end of October for three weeks where we will have a different speaker every week talk about their spirituality and queer journey and identity and how they’ve reconciled those or where they’re at,” Fagerburg said.  

She said the club wants to build a sense of community where students feel like they are valued and safe expressing who they are. 

Boase said even though the club has “Christian” in its name, people don’t need to be religious to come to the activities.  

“We really want to focus on having people of all faiths and spiritualities welcome,” Fagerburg said.  

Fagerburg said regardless of how you identify, everyone can be respectful by listening to new ideas and being willing to learn.  

“Just be open to hearing other ideas and hearing from people different from you, and don’t make negative assumptions about someone’s character based on their beliefs,” Fagerburg said. “You can love someone and learn from them and not compromise who you are and what you believe.”