Senior Allie Bozuhoski is a transfer student from Long Island who advocates for LGBTQ+ students at Old Westbury as the vice president of the OW Rainbow club which supports the LGBTQ+ community by hosting events, meetings, and support groups on campus. She works to improve how LGBTQ+ individuals are treated. She is dedicated to nurturing a more inclusive and safe environment. She declined to be photographed for this profile.
Growing up in a supportive family and environment, Allie felt comfortable exploring and understanding her own identity. “Growing up was really nice!” Allie said. Coming to terms with being asexual at 13 and later identifying as bisexual at 17, her journey with her identity was supported by her sibling, who is also in the LGBTQ+ community. Despite growing up in a more conservative area, Allie found comfort in the resources available to her and the supportive friends she surrounded herself with.
However, Allie says that SUNY Old Westbury’s campus culture is not as supportive as she would like it to be. “The school is not very supportive. And if you tried to say anything it would be antagonized.” Allie said. She recalls instances of hearing derogatory language and witnessing disrespectful behavior towards LGBTQ+ individuals. She believes this stems from a lack of understanding and education about the community.
Allie said that she would be having fun in the commuters lounge/game room in the Student Union and would hear the F slur being used by students who were not queer, and “gay” used as an insult. She recalled a lot of times where people at O.W. weren’t as supportive and would look at the LGBTQ+ community in a weird way. Despite efforts to organize events through OW Rainbow, Allie acknowledged that attendance for these events can be low and that more needs to be done to raise awareness and promote acceptance. “People will be people.” Allie said while shrugging her shoulders.
In light of these challenges, Allie believes that education is key to a meaningful and successful change on campus and in general. Allie thinks the best change is to educate and inform people about the LGBTQ+ community. “Bigotry is really big in certain communities” said Allie. She believes if people make the right kind of change there will be a substantial difference. Queer people can be treated equally by educating people and passing more anti-discriminatory laws.
By educating the campus community and advocating for policies that protect LGBTQ+ rights and students, Allie hopes to create a more welcoming and inclusive environment for queer students at SUNY Old Westbury. She highlights the importance of fighting against bigotry and discrimination through education and regulations, eventually creating a campus where LGBTQ+ individuals are treated with equality and respect.
