30 Years After First Night of Chalking in 1994, Students Write Messages Across Campus to Promote Queer Visibility and Pride

Caitlin Doherty ’26

Executive News Editor

As darkness fell across campus on the night of Wednesday, Oct. 18, students walked together from the Queer Resource Center (QRC) to participate in an annual chalking event where they write messages on walkways across campus to celebrate queer pride and increase visibility. This chalking night was a part of the yearly LGBTQ+ history month programming and was organized as a partnership between the QRC, Encouraging Respect of Sexualities (EROS) and Trinity College Out in STEM (oSTEM), according to an Instagram post from the QRC. The first chalking for LGBTQ+ visibility on Trinity’s campus happened on the night of Oct. 4, 1994, according to an Oct. 1994 Letter to the Editor published in the Tripod from EROS member Kate Roberts ’95. 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of chalking since that first night. “The annual PRIDE chalking has been a radical act of queer visibility since 1994 at Trinity College, a time when being OUT on campus was often unwelcome & deeply consequential,” stated PRIDE chalking notice signs posted around campus. “Today we chalk with pride, courage, and the reminder that Queer & Trans people have always been part of Trinity’s history and community.”

Lynn Cheng ’26, President of EROS, and Marie Naka ’26, EROS general body member, both participated in the chalking on Wednesday and discussed the night in a joint interview with the Tripod. “We’re perpetuating a legacy, but we’re also helping students who also do not feel comfortable being out,” said Cheng as they reflected on the importance of the annual chalking night. “It’s a positive expression of ‘we are here, we have always been here, we are going to continue staying here.” 

Cheng talked about the fun and lively atmosphere of the night but noted, “You can tell people are a little uncomfortable at times with seeing the things that are written.” In the past, students have washed away the chalk with water bottles and written slurs and other negative messages beside the words of pride. “The first rule that they always tell you every chalking night is you cannot leave any little bit of chalk behind,” Cheng reflected. “The first rule is not ‘look at the list’ [of approved words and phrases to be written] or the first rule is not where you can write. The first rule is don’t leave any chalk behind, because people will take it and do mean things.”

“The reason why we still have queer history month is because of things that are still happening to this day,” said Cheng. “Yes, there has been progress made. Yes, you can be openly queer. It is safer to be openly queer; it is not inherently safe to be openly queer still.” Across campus, the words and phrases vary in their tone but all hold significance to the students who wrote them and ultimately contribute to their mission of increasing queer visibility on Trinity’s campus. Many of the phrases represent historical connections to the LGBTQ+ pride movement, such as “silence is violence.” Others are more lighthearted, such as “I love lesbians.” And some speak directly to Trinity students; “One of your teammates is gay” was written by students outside of the Ferris Athletic Center.

“[Chalking Night] started as a protest in the 90s when queer students weren’t really accepted on campus,” said Marie Naka ’26. “Since then, it’s become more of a sanctioned, expected thing… but it’s still very much an act of protest and fighting against all of the oppression that we still face and reminding queer students on campus that they have a place here.”