As we quietly slide into September we begin to think about what are, for North Americans, annual end of summer rituals and events. In the U.S. we get a day off from work to honor workers. We get ready to pack up our children, our siblings, and ourselves and head back to school, where ever that may be. In these postmodern times there may be a GSA (gay/straight alliance) in middle and high schools to support LGBTQ+ students. At the Uni there may be an LGBT Resource Center, there may be a Women’s and Gender Studies program, and a way for queer students to socialize and learn without fear of violence interrupting their studies. Many uni’s across the country have even taken on a Safe Zone training series to help faculty and staff who might not be queer themselves help students. But what if the very institution hates you and wants to inflict violence on you for being queer? Who do you turn to? How do you survive? Several years ago a group of anonymous students at Harding University put out a zine telling their stories about being queer at an ultra-conservative Christian university. The State of the Gay at Harding University is an act of bravery in and of itself, and we’re lucky and proud to have such a courageous document in the archive at QZAP.
