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Since its official organization in 1999, Questioning Established Sexual Taboos (QuEST) has dedicated itself to raising awareness and increasing tolerance of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) issues. Its activities, events, and discussion forums have earned it campus- wide recognition.
“Diversity is important and minorities of various kinds need to have a face because our culture really puts them on the extreme margin,” says the group’s faculty adviser Katalin Fabian, assistant professor of government and law. “It’s crucial for them to find some solid support. The people in QuEST are not only those belonging to these sexual minorities, but those who believe in equality and that we should all have a voice. These are current issues in our country and abroad, which bring across very fundamental issues of democracy.”
Each academic year, QuEST organizes special events, activities, and forums for the campus community as a means of bringing students closer together and encouraging an open and supportive environment.
Annual events include the drag ball, in which students dress in drag to challenge traditional gender stereotypes; day of silence, in which participants protest the silence experienced by victims of hate by remaining silent for one day and then discuss the reactions of peers, faculty, and staff; and coming out day, in which QuEST places an oversize closet in Farinon Student Center to represent the pain and frustration of GLBT individuals who fear coming out.
“In my opinion, QuEST is one of the most important organizations on campus,” says president Daniel Reynolds ’08 (Randolph, N.J.), an English major. “In addition to our social activities, we are a forum for discussion on all GLBT issues. QuEST provides an especially vital role of support and activism against hate and discrimination.”
QuEST organizes Lafayette’s Safe Zone program, part of a nationwide campaign to provide a safe and welcoming atmosphere for the GLBT community. QuEST passes out stickers to student leaders and faculty to place on doors signifying they support GLBT individuals. It also co-sponsors United Against Hate Week, a weeklong celebration of diversity and tolerance, with other student and campus organizations.
Past speakers QuEST has brought to campus include spoken word artist Alix Olson and Judy Shepard, mother of Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student who was murdered in 1998. QuEST also sponsors various brown bag discussions on homophobia, homosexuality, and hate-related issues throughout the year.
In 2004, QuEST received the Aaron O. Hoff Award for Outstanding Cultural or Religious Group, given to the group whose performance or programs have made an exceptional contribution to the cultural environment at Lafayette in terms of opportunities for increased cultural appreciation, awareness, tolerance, or personal/spiritual growth. Former QuEST president Michael Lestingi ’04, who graduated with a B.S. mechanical engineering and A.B. with majors in international studies and Russian and East European studies, recalls the impact of the Hoff Award.
“Being recognized by the campus at large was a big step for the organization and for GLBT members and their supporters,” says Lestingi, who is an international transportation specialist for the federal railroad administration of the U.S. Department of Transportation. “Receiving recognition for acting as an agent of change on campus and for bringing more understanding and peace to the campus was important.”
Along with Reynolds, QuEST’s officers for the upcoming academic year are English and women’s studies double major Jennifer Aranda ’07 (Paramus, N.J.), social chair; Jessica Elliott ’09 (Bethlehem, Pa.), secretary; and English and A.B. engineering double major Charles Felix ’08 (Brooklyn, N.Y.), treasurer.