Photo courtesy of Aisha Ghorashian

Community Health Sciences

‘Pride is More Than Just One Month’

Aisha Ghorashian, the incoming administration chair for SPH’s Queer Alliance, reflects on the student organization’s activities over the past year and the importance of celebrating Pride year-round.

When Aisha Ghorashian saw the Queer Alliance (QA) table at a student resource fair during her first semester as a graduate student at the School of Public Health, she says she knew immediately she wanted to be part of that community.

To Ghorashian, Pride is not just a parade she enjoys each month of June, it is an ongoing experience. It is important to her to always honor the fight for equity and the dismantling of systems of oppression that are rooted in the history of the annual month-long celebration of LGBTQIA+ pride, rights, and culture. “Pride is more than just one month,” she says. “Pride is present every day, in every act of resistance, and at every event.”

Ghorashian, who studies Community Assessment, Program Design, Implementation, and Evaluation (CAPDIE) at SPH, moved to Boston following a year of service in the National Health Corps (NHC), a branch of Americorps dedicated to developing public health leaders, building healthy communities, and reducing health disparities by connecting historically marginalized communities with health and wellness education, benefits, and services.

The University of Oregon (UO) graduate with bachelor’s degrees in psychology and political science was placed by NHC in Chicago, where she served as a school-based health educator with a non-profit community health center. There, she conducted nutrition and health coaching, taught sexual health education, arranged vision and dental provider visits, and spearheaded other health-related activities and campaigns to engage students.

Ghorashian used her role as a health educator to build on her previous experiences as a peer wellness advocate, peer wellness coordinator, and later health promotion specialist at UO’s peer wellness center. Particularly passionate about sexuality education, relationships, and mental health, Ghorashian also supported her undergraduate peers as an arts and culture columnist at UO’s independent, student-run newspaper, publishing weekly articles on sex and relationships for college students that both used a sex-positive framework and acknowledged the dynamics of intersectional identities.

At SPH, Ghorashian has applied her rich background in inclusive service and leadership to her role as a member of QA. A year and nearly 20 events since she joined, the first-year representative for the SPH student organization dedicated to fostering safe, supportive spaces for LGBTQIA+ students, faculty, and staff is looking forward to resting and recharging over the summer.

With Ghorashian’s help, QA successfully executed an ambitious agenda this past year. The group hosted or partnered with other student and campus organizations to hold nearly every event that Kyla Botsian, a recent MPH graduate and QA’s former president, had envisioned for the group at this time last Pride Month.

For example, Ghorashian, Botsian, and their fellow executive board members organized a series of eight “Lavender Lunches,” each featuring a faculty and staff member who either identifies as queer or does work on LGBTQIA+ issues. Participants included multiple professors from the Department of Community Health Sciences such as Sophie Godley, Allegra Gordon, Kimberly Nelson, and Harold Cox, as well as Lawrence Long, a research associate professor in the Department of Global Health; Ryan Wisniewski, assistant director of the practicum program at SPH; and Gary Bailey, Master of Social Work program director for the School of Social Work at Simmons University. Additionally, the student group discussed several graphic novels together (Heartstopper by Alice Oseman, Palestine by Joe Sacco, and Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe); put on joint events with the Food is Medicine Collective, Students of Color for Public Health, and the Reproductive Justice Student Alliance; observed Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20 and Chosen Family Day on February 22; and held trivia nights and mixers.

Ghorashian plans to return to campus next fall as QA’s administrative chair, ready to collaborate with her fellow executive board members to offer the SPH community more opportunities to connect with and be in queer community. She shared with SPH her reflections on her experience as part of QA and what Pride means to her.

What does the role of a first-year representative in Queer Alliance (QA) entail and what has been a highlight of your experience so far?

Being a first-year representative means assisting and initiating any events that the Queer Alliance wants to host! We have a lot of freedom and variety in how queer identities manifest on campus, which is one of the coolest aspects of this organization. One event I need to highlight is the Palestine Teach-In, initiated by my fellow org members. It was a collaborative effort between the Food is Medicine Collective, Students of Color for Public Health, and Queer Alliance. It was an empowering experience to see these groups come together to learn about how the genocide in Palestine impacts all of us, especially those in the health sphere.

Who should join QA and how can interested students get involved?

Anyone who identifies as a member of the queer community is welcome! We accept all backgrounds and identities, and we want this alliance to represent the diversity that exists within queerness. The best way to get involved is to follow us on Instagram @busphqueeralliance and attend our events. We post regularly during the school year, and almost all our events take place on the BU Medical/Public Health Campus.

What does Pride Month mean to you and is there anything in particular that you are looking forward to in the coming weeks?

Pride Month, to me, is about being in and with my community. It is a time of resistance and joy, and the two are not mutually exclusive. Even though this event happened in April, the Wicked Queer International Film Festival was one of my favorite Pride-related events. It showcases queer films from around the world, and it was so cool to see these movies and also dismantle stereotypes people may have about race, culture, ethnicity, faith, and their experiences with queer identities.

Do you have an LGBTQIA+ role model and if so, who is it and why?

There are so many amazing celebrities and activists, but honestly, my role models are all my friends in this community. They are the reason I feel comfortable being who I am. They continually teach me how to live authentically and accept me for who I am. There is nothing better than that.

Email sphqa@bu.edu or message QA on Instagram to get involved.