The Queer History of Trinity College on Display

Lucy Sheldon ‘27

Staff Writer

One can find on the second floor of Trinity College’s library, positioned against the back wall near the Watkinson and Scott rooms, the exhibit entitled “A Queer History at Trinity College.” Among the elements featured in this exhibit were three tall banners, detailing the evolution of queer spaces, organizations, communities and experiences at Trinity College. In addition to the banners, a book comprising the Trinity Tripod’s clippings and editions as well as photographs was situated on a stand just to the side. In effect, this exhibit is a multi-media curation of queer presence on campus, outlining the strides Trinity has made to foster a more inclusive and safe environment for queer students and faculty alike. 

With dates spanning from 1955 to 2023, this exhibit provides an in-depth timeline of queer visibility and triumphs on campus. Divided by decades, the first landmark captured in the timeline, spoke of two first year Trinity College men, Richard Nolan ’59 and Robert Pingpank ’59, beginning their relationship on campus, shortly after meeting at orientation. 54 years later, after same-sex marriage was legalized in the state of Connecticut in 2008, they became the first same-sex couple to marry at the College Chapel during their 50th class reunion. The book, paired with this exhibit, supplements Nolan and Pingpank’s story, with an announcement from Trinity College delineating the date of the marriage along the vows exchanged as well as a newspaper clipping detailing where Nolan and Pingpank ended up in each of their careers and shared life together.

Several of the events captured following the 1950s, and extending into the 1970s and 80s, include the establishment of cultural events and queer resources on campus. Many of them were designed with the intent of improving the safety and queer representation on campus. Examples of this include: in 1977 Trinity launched its gay and lesbian support hotline, referring to it as the “Gay RAP line.” In February of 1985, Trinity’s Student Government Association dedicated its campus awareness days to addressing the homophobia that continued to be pervasive on campus. Moreover, in 1987, the CT Gay and Lesbian Film Festival was established and screened at Cinestudio. 

However, as mentioned in this retrospective many of these events did not seamlessly take place. In April of 1985, when the first “Gay Pride Day”, there was rampant controversy. To such a degree that some students banded together, to form a protest and counter these gay events, branding themselves the Students Against Gays Everywhere (S.A.G.E.). 

Included in the supplemental book was coverage of S.A.G.E.’s actions. According to the Editors of the Tripod at the time, S.A.G.E. protested with signs, black clothing and armbands ensuring that their “Hatred springs eternal on the Trinity campus, hatred and fear of homosexuals.” Beyond this striking showcase of hatred and bigotry, there were many letters sent to editors of the Tripod, written to challenge and discourage the attempts made to highlight queer presence and voices. Some of the letters were entitled, “Should Gay Alliance Be Tolerated?” and “Gay Pride Events Lacked Any tact.”

Progressing into the early 2000s and continuing until 2023, the timeline recorded massive milestones made by Trinity College to make a home for queer students and faculty. Some of these include, in 2001 opening the EROS (Encouraging Respect of SexCultural Space, in 2005 re-opening Queer Resource Center in the 114 Crescent Street building to have a permanent place on campus, and in 2015 in collaboration with the QRC the OMA senior ceremonies were amended to honor its first graduation of “Lavender Graduates.”

More recently, in 2020 Trinity’s women’s basketball team participated in its first PRIDE Game Day. In addition, the use of pronouns on campus records and class rosters were also disbanded that same year to mitigate misgendering in classes. In the summer of 2022, Trinity initiated the expansion of gender-inclusive housing options and policies allowing students to live in mixed-gender dorms. 

Ultimately, these decades worth of initiatives culminated in the National Campus Pride Index awarding Trinity with a 5 out of 5 star rating as a reflection of the institution’s commitment to creating a safe and inclusive environment for its queer members.