Bowie State student leveraging grant money to brighten a safe space for the school’s LGBTQ+ community

Bowie State University’s LGBTQIA Resource Center, which has been operating for over a decade, is set to get a face-lift paid for with a grant won by Paige Hoskins, a junior at the school.

House of Bowie, previously known as the Gay-Straight Alliance, is a student-run organization with a mission to “defend, protect, celebrate and educate” queer students and allies through programming like book clubs, bingo and soirees, Hoskins said. The university’s resource center was the first of its kind at a historically Black college or university when it opened in 2012.

Hoskins, a 20-year-old psychology major, said House of Bowie is “showcasing and representing” the LGTBQ+ community on campus.

“I definitely believe it is a safe campus, especially with House of Bowie’s influence. We’ve started to just personally bring in people into our little safe resource center,” Hoskins said, “and also acknowledging that it’s OK to be queer, it’s OK to be who you are and express who you are in a space where it doesn’t seem like it. I think just that warmth brings such a bigger influence to the campus.”

Hoskins, who holds the position of Miss House of Bowie on the organization’s leadership team, is a spokesperson who leads meetings and hosts events. Most recently, she secured a $600 grant from Campus Pride, a nonprofit based in North Carolina that seeks to create safer, more inclusive college environments for LGBTQ+ students.

Hoskins, one of 13 winners across the country, plans to use the money to improve the LGBTQIA Resource Center with things like more comfortable furniture and take-home resources. Hoskins is the only recipient representing a Maryland university and one of two hailing from an HBCU; the other student represents Clinton College in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

“We have been getting more traction in the resource center,” Hoskins said. “Sometimes, people come in and they have questions on identity. They have questions on sex health. They have questions on just the queer community as a whole.

“So if I’m not there or someone who’s able to speak on these things is not there, having something to take or having something to read or look at or have I think is so important … [because] you walk away with something that maybe the rest of the campus isn’t offering for you.”

Shane Mendez Windmeyer, the CEO and founder of Campus Pride, said the organization was drawn to Hoskins’ application because of her focus on creating a safe space, especially in the wake of increasing attacks on young members of the LGBTQ+ community nationwide.

“If you’re going to make good grades,” Windmeyer said, “you have to have a safe space to be able to thrive and learn in.”

Kayla Lowery, who uses she/they pronouns, is the president of House of Bowie. She said the resource center is a safe study space where students can come and do homework.

It’s also a place where students from “completely different sides of campus” can come together, Lowery said. There’s an active group chat with about 140 people, and House of Bowie events max out at about 50 attendees.

Lowery wants to invest in the resource center and make it a “home and a hub.”

Keadrick Peters, the director of the LGBTQIA+ Resource Center and faculty adviser for House of Bowie, said the university’s annual campus climate surveys have reflected a steadily increasing sense of belonging among the LGBTQ+ community, which Peters credits in part to safe spaces like House of Bowie.

Peters regularly meets with the students behind House of Bowie to prepare events, programs and initiatives that “keep the center visible,” he said.

Bowie State University is one of 16 schools involved with the Campus Pride HBCU Commission, as is Morgan State University. Windmeyer said the commission meets quarterly and acts as a sounding board and distribution network for ideas like the mini grant Hoskins received.

It was through the commission that Peters heard about the grants and immediately thought about the “outgoing and determined” Hoskins, who has worked to give House of Bowie a larger presence on campus.

“She’s usually one of the first people to volunteer for any kind of volunteer service or to do a special project,” Peters said. “She’s like, ‘I’ll sign up and I’ll bring a friend.’”

Hoskins said she hopes to see a larger, more consistent crowd at House of Bowie as time passes. And once she and the rest of the executive board move on, she hopes to leave it in good hands.

“I hope whoever comes to these roles when I’m graduated still has a passion, still has like the care for the queer community on campus,” Hoskins said.

This article is part of our Newsmaker series, which profiles notable people in the Baltimore region who are having an impact in our diverse communities. If you’d like to suggest someone who should be profiled, please send their name and a short description of what they are doing to make a difference to: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Editor Kamau High at khigh@baltsun.com.