As Princeton’s paper of record, The Daily Princetonian plays an important role in the creation and maintenance of the queer archive on campus. Unfortunately, given a history of violence toward and attempted erasure of the LGBTQ+ community, the archive of queer existence on this campus and beyond is often remarkably thin and marred by a lack of empathy for its subjects.
This issue, entitled “Queer Remembrances, Queer Futures” argues that, before diving into the present challenges and future aspirations of the queer community, it is essential to provide space for reflections back on queer narratives of the past. In potent prose, Professor Jeff Nunokawa and Dean of the College Jill Dolan reflect on their experiences as members of the LGBTQ+ community in the 1970s, documenting the vastly different reality for the LGBTQ+ community just a couple of decades ago. Engaging with the past can inform how the queer community tackles critical issues in the present and how they imagine a future where fear of plurality is subsumed by celebration.
In this issue, we do just that — exploring queer students’ experiences securing housing accommodations, the power of representation offered by campus queer student-athletes Abby Meyers ’22 and Marge Donovan ’22, and a reflection on living between worlds by a queer Muslim student. Together, their stories form a snapshot of Princeton’s LGBTQ+ community today.
But we are looking forward as well, challenging the design and content conventions of our paper in a digital and print product that incorporates the work of queer artists and their reflections on identity. In self-essays and profiles of LGBTQ+ students on campus like Josh Babu ’22 and Griffin Maxwell Brooks ’23, we offer a multiplicity of queer experiences that affirm the present diversity of queer voices, ushering in a future that embraces queer experiences and identities on their own terms.
We conceive of this more than anything as an invitation to the queer community on campus. An invitation can only be truly genuine when it goes beyond empty words: The content curated for this issue represents a public record — and a public commitment — to elevating the voices and stories of queer folks in our pages.
Our sincere hope is that this marks not a one-off product, but a catalyst for continued, consistent, and abundant storytelling in the ‘Prince’ for and by members of the Princeton queer community.
Omar Farah is a Managing Editor at the ‘Prince’. They are also a queer visual artist and curator who have poured their heart and soul into this issue. They can be reached at ofarah@princeton.edu.
Marie-Rose Sheinerman is the Editor-in-Chief of the ‘Prince.’ She has endless gratitude and admiration for the staffers and editors who made this issue possible. She can be reached at eic@dailyprincetonian.com.
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We must dispel the myth of Princeton’s economic diversity
Raf Basas“Princeton’s administration must implement a class-based affirmative action system to create a domestic student population which is socioeconomically representative of America. In the meantime, effectively serving the nation and humanity involves a realistic understanding of the world’s socioeconomic dynamics — and it starts with us recognizing that Princeton’s population, when compared to the nation as a whole, is not economically diverse.”
“Princeton’s administration must implement a class-based affirmative action system to create a domestic student population which is socioeconomically representative of America. In the meantime, effectively serving the nation and humanity involves a realistic understanding of the world’s socioeconomic dynamics — and it starts with us recognizing that Princeton’s population, when compared to the nation as a whole, is not economically diverse.”
Pathologizing men is unproductive. We should invest in better men-focused spaces
Nicholas Manetas“The lack of avenues for men to talk about masculinity is not an excuse for problematic behavior. But when discussing the challenges facing men involves pathologizing them and blaming their struggles on their own toxic masculinity, we suggest that masculinity is inherently problematic and cannot be expressed in a healthy way.”
“The lack of avenues for men to talk about masculinity is not an excuse for problematic behavior. But when discussing the challenges facing men involves pathologizing them and blaming their struggles on their own toxic masculinity, we suggest that masculinity is inherently problematic and cannot be expressed in a healthy way.”
As Progressive Jews, we call on Princetonians to boycott Thursday’s ‘Son of Hamas’ lecture
Guest Contributors“Princeton cannot claim to be in ‘the Service of Humanity’ when overtly Islamophobic speakers are being invited to a campus where Muslim students live and learn daily. By allowing speakers like Yousef on campus, Princeton is serving nothing but the perpetuation of hateful rhetoric.”
“Princeton cannot claim to be in ‘the Service of Humanity’ when overtly Islamophobic speakers are being invited to a campus where Muslim students live and learn daily. By allowing speakers like Yousef on campus, Princeton is serving nothing but the perpetuation of hateful rhetoric.”
