SALEM, Va. – Helping students express their true selves, that’s the mission of Roanoke College’s “Out of the Closet” project.
It’s a service on campus that offers LGBTQ+ students the opportunity to privately receive free clothes.
Religion professor, Dr. Jennifer Berenson came up with the idea to support students in a new way.
“We have clothing, shoes and accessories—things like that,” said Dr. Berenson. “This is a place that we’ve created for transgender and gender non-conforming students to come and find clothing that helps them express their identity,”
Student leaders like treasurer of RC Pride, Ethan Stevenson and Student Body President, Emily Norton decided to get involved.
“It’s really important because a lot of students at college, it’s really their first opportunity to really express themselves,” said Stevenson.
“I wanted to try to cultivate a welcoming environment as best as I could. Even if it is just at the level of donating clothes,” said Norton. “I think it’s really nice for LGBTQ students on campus to see, ‘Oh, all of these organizations care about me enough to donate and participate.’”
To learn more or support the project, visit Roanoke College’s website.