My third article written for publication Ball Bearings, Families You Choose, was posted today on the Ball Bearings website!
This is a personal story focusing on a Ball State University Student, Eli Lucas, an 18-year-old transgender male (assigned female at birth). Eli is a freshman at Ball State University, but he has a big role: Treasurer of Spectrum, the LGBTQ support organization on campus.
Dating back to 1974, Spectrum’s “goal is to provide an anonymous, healthy, and safe place for Ball State University students and individuals in the surrounding communities who are discovering their personal identities to help find an understanding network of support.” For more information on the Safezone and Trans Safezone Trainings at Ball State University, click here.
Spectrum hosts multiple events to provide both the LGBTQ community on campus and in Muncie, as well as the general student body, with opportunities to learn more about gender, sexual, and romantic minority issues, cultures, and history. Such events include Speaker Panels, a semi-annual Drag Show, Lavender Graduation, and the Queer Monologues.
This article’s main focus was to interview a student who found an “emotional family” after feeling rejected by their blood-related kin. My article covers Eli’s feelings of rejection from his family from the beginning of his transformation to the present. It was touching that Eli was willing to share his story – after all, this was a difficult and personal topic. I appreciated his openness and willingness to answer my questions.
Read more in the article to learn about his journey, beginning with his transformation up to his present experiences with Spectrum!