Ohio State Student Organization advocates for the intersectionality of the POC and LGBTQ+ communities

SHADES members at their weekly meeting in Aug., 2024 || Credit: courtesy of SHADES

Among the various identities any given individual possesses, there exists a combination of intertwining traits that shape who a person is and will become.

SHADES is a student organization dedicated to fostering a safe space and raising awareness for the intersectionality between people of color and LGBTQ+ student communities on campus. 

Though the university has several spaces for the POC and LGBTQ+ communities individually, Akasha Lancaster, a third-year in psychology and co-president of SHADES, said having an organization that highlights the crossover between both identities has been distinctly beneficial.

“Obviously, there are specifically Black orgs and specifically queer orgs here at OSU, but as someone who identifies as both, it’s really nice to be able to be surrounded by people who understand you in more than just one way,” Lancaster said. 

Despite the fact both groups have faced discrimination due to being marginalized communities, Lancaster said it can sometimes be difficult for each community to be understanding toward the other. 

“I can recognize and understand that the Black community has its issues within itself that need to be worked on,” Lancaster said. “So, I felt like there were some times where I would have encounters with people who were not accepting of my other identities as a person who does not necessarily identify as a woman or straight.”

Similarly, Lancaster said the intolerance from parts of the Black community can sometimes bleed into the LGBTQ+ spaces they inhabit. 

“Especially with OSU being a [predominantly white institution], a lot of the LGBTQ spaces are predominantly white people — and there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that,” Lancaster said. “But again, it was just that one piece of disconnect where there are still some issues within that community as well.”

Creating an environment in which people can come together with others who share similar experiences and struggles is something Ileia Wou, a third-year in psychology and the other co-president for SHADES, said is a focal point for the organization. 

“It’s important for people to have a safe space,” Wou said. “Even if they are allies and, you know, they accept it, they won’t necessarily have gone through what you went through, and it’s nice to have support, but it’s also needed to have those people that have gone through what you’ve gone through.”

In light of recent executive orders from President Donald Trump’s administration aimed at cutting federal funding for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives — as well as the university’s decision to eliminate the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and the Center for Belonging and Social Change — Wou said many members of the campus’ minority populations feel at a loss.

“First, they decolored the CBSC, and then now, they’re eliminating and getting rid of it, and it kind of feels like they’re erasing and silencing a part of my identity,” Wou said. “When that first came out, me and a bunch of other people started crying. We were absolutely devastated.”

In an August 2024 email correspondence with Black and Bold Magazine, Aliya Beavers — a director for CBSC — confirmed the center replaced individual cohorts for various identity groups with an all-encompassing weekly group meeting titled “community connections.” Beavers said this decision was made due to “extremely low attendance” for separate cohort meetings, as well as to account for the wide range of identities students hold. 

Wou said losing these individual cohorts made some Ohio State students — including herself — interpret the change as a form of decoloration at the university.

SHADES has existed on Ohio State’s campus for over a decade, and when it comes to advocating for the rights of POC and LGBTQ+ campus communities, Wou said the organization will continue to push through any roadblocks.

“We’re going back in history, but it always plays out, and I believe good will come no matter what, even if it takes a long time,” Wou said. “We’ve just been oppressed so much that it's terrible, but we can do it. We can just keep pushing.” 

Regardless of the changes taking place, Lancaster said the education, resources and safe spaces SHADES is able to provide the POC and LGBTQ+ communities will remain.

“It helps people find their smaller communities within such a big community — helps them feel more at home, more comfortable around people that they can connect with better,” Lancaster said. “It gives students who have intersecting identities the comfort of knowing that there are other people like them.”

This story was published in collaboration with The Lantern as part of the 2025 Black Voices special edition.