“How can we make this space safer for everyone involved?” a speaker asks. The student members of Q Spirit sat in silence for a moment. They pondered the question posed, the gears in their minds working. They look at those sitting next to them, each with different backgrounds and identities. 

Then they look inside themselves, at the very pieces that make them who they are. Answers are shouted out, from the implementation of name tags to an understanding of confidentiality, and suddenly the space they inhabit is just that. Safer.   

Q Spirit, now in its second year at Chapman, is a support group for LGBTQIA+ students where they can meet and have conversations about their queer identities and experiences with religion and spirituality. 

Run by one of the Fish Interfaith Center’s Christian chaplains, Reverend Nancy Brink and associate minister at First Christian Church of Orange Reverend Beth Chiaravalle, the group meets biweekly and has offered a safe and affirming place for many students. 

“Sometimes we talk about trauma (members) may have experienced, particularly at the hands of Christians,” Brink said. “But we also talk about how students can connect to something bigger than themselves.” 

After speaking to students over the years about trauma they had experienced at the hands of religious teachers or organizations, Brink told The Panther she found herself compelled to start a group that could offer a space conducive to healing. Over time, she’s adapted the dynamic to include discussions of the changing political landscape. 

“Safe spaces are important because there’s still discrimination, particularly against the trans and nonbinary community right now,” Brink said. “Around the country there are some laws being enacted that marginalize and maybe risk the lives of trans and nonbinary students. That’s a hard thing to deal with because usually our experience has been that we go forwards, but we’re going backwards on this one.” 

With much of the public debate and discourse revolving around religious questions, Brink said she feels it is her responsibility as both a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and chaplain to offer the other side of the growing political conversation. In doing so, Brink has woven a unique tapestry of her life and work at Chapman. 

“It’s putting together so many points in my life,” Brink said. “I didn’t come out until my thirties. But I do know that the coming out journey — it might be different than students these days, but emotionally it’s not very different. Then there’s my own theological journey and what I embrace and teach now under the somewhat loosely held title of progressive Christianity. It’s putting those two sides of my life together.” 

Senior creative writing major Willoh Tyler finds comfort in Q Spirit, especially under the leadership of Brink. Tyler, who identifies as nonbinary, approaches Q Spirit from the viewpoint of someone trying to discover religion in their own way. 

“Q Spirit is there for people like me who don’t really know what their relationship with religion is,” Tyler said. “We’re finding our footing with our relation to organized or individual spirituality. I really like that I’m not expected to choose or have a spiritual label. I’m just freely engaging and expressing ideas related to faith.” 

While Q Spirit offers a place for LGBTQIA+ students in regards to religion, a new group on campus — called Shift Happens — offers support to transgender and nonbinary specifically, and gives them a space to speak about any and all topics.

“Shift Happens is a support group for trans and nonbinary people period,” Tyler said. “There’s no qualifiers, we don't have to discuss religion, you can talk about whatever is important to you. It’s mostly about talking and feeling comfortable with other trans and nonbinary people on campus.” 

Bringing this new group to campus was an inviting prospect for Tyler, who spent much of their time hanging flyers around campus in hopes of reaching other students. Tyler told The Panther that these groups are places where people no longer feel alone. They can sit with others who have shared life experiences and feel safe in shedding societal pressures. 

Q Spirit finds its home in the Fish Interfaith Center, and the center’s Dean Gail Stearns has made offering these spaces to students a top priority. 

Q Spirit meets biweekly on Fridays at 12:15 p.m. at the Fish Interfaith Center. Anyone interested in joining Shift Happens can reach out to Brink at brink@chapman.edu for more information. 
More resources for LGBTQIA+ students can be found at Queer Pages.