Georgetown U. Students Request an LGBTQ+ Affinity Space

Several student organizations at Georgetown University have collaborated to submit a proposal for an LGBTQ+ affinity space on the Jesuit school’s campus in Washington, DC..

According to the student newspaper The Hoya, the Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) formally submitted a proposal to university administrators requesting the creation of an LGBTQ+ affinity space in February.

The proposal includes plans for a dedicated space called the Lavender Haus that would serve as inclusive housing, an event venue, or a gathering place for LGBTQ+ students. Members of GUSA hope that the creation of the space would provide a tangible resource for students, strengthening support for LGBTQ+ students at Georgetown and better enabling students to connect with the LGBTQ+ Resource Center. Princess Diallo, GUSA’s director of campus and social life, explained:

“The creation of the Lavender Haus has the potential to be a really meaningful addition to campus life because it moves beyond symbolic support and gives students a real physical space to share.  Students at Georgetown have been wanting the administration to create this space, and I think having a dedicated, visible home for LGBTQ+ students where they can choose to spend time, host events or just study is an amazing proposition.

The plan for the Lavender Haus is modelled after existing affinity spaces at Georgetown: The Black House and La Casa Latina, which serve as housing options for African American students and Latino students, respectively. 

According to Allie Gaudion, director of advocacy for GU Pride, an LGBTQ+ affinity student group, the proposal was jointly developed with several student organizations. “This has been over a year-long collaboration between GU Pride, QPOC [Queer People of Color] and GUSA,” Gaudion said. “We all contributed to the writing of the document and the design of the proposal itself.”

Ignacio Loaiza Sandoval, GUSA’s executive chief of staff, remarked that involving a variety of different student organizations was essential to create a proposal that will truly meet the needs of all students:

“This collaboration is vital as each of our organizations are able to tap into our networks to do extensive outreach to students and administrators through pre-existing channels, strengthening the case for this space on campus. By publicizing the fact that the proposal has been submitted, we hope that students are able to help support The Lavender Haus by demonstrating their interest and holding the university accountable to its Jesuit values.”

Calling upon the university’s Jesuit values in support of the creation of Lavender Haus was particularly important, says Loaiza Sandoval, in light of the findings of Georgetown’s 2021 Cultural Climate Survey. This survey found that transgender, genderqueer, and nonbinary undergraduates were more than twice as likely as their cisgender peers to report experiencing prejudice or discrimination during the 2019-20 academic year. He explained:

“The Lavender Haus is a necessary response to the lived experiences of our students…By highlighting cultural climate surveys, we’re asking the university to tangibly support a community through an existing framework that, by its own data, is disproportionately facing discrimination and feeling excluded.”

Student organizations now hope that the university will provide a clear plan for implementation, including a timeline and a commitment to the creation of a dedicated physical space. Until then, GUSA representatives say they are committed to working with student groups to ensure that students are properly connected with resources. 

“If, for whatever reason, this does not move forward for the next academic year, we will continue working to ensure that a space for LGBTQA+ students can be created as soon as possible,” said Allie Schlicht, GUSA’s chief of policy.

The creation of an LGBTQ+ affinity space on this Catholic university’s campus would not only provide much-needed resources to LGBTQ+ students and demonstrate a commitment to justice and inclusion, but it would also provide an example to other Catholic schools and institutions of how to provide tangible, lasting support to their LGBTQ+ members. 

—Phoebe Carstens, New Ways Ministry, April 29, 2026