'Homophobia is alive and real'
Says student journalist after launching a queer college newspaper in Florida
Mary Rasura ran for editor of her college paper four times but never got the position.
That, combined with the closure of her university’s diversity center, led her to create a new newspaper last year, focusing on LGBTQ voices.
For its first 8-page issue, she wrote every article herself.
The senior at Florida Atlantic University hopes OutFAU will build a community for queer students, a group she said also has a stake in everyday news stories in a politically charged state like Florida.
FAU’s Center for Inclusion, Diversity Education and Advocacy shuttered after Florida banned the use of funding by public colleges and universities for diversity, inclusion and equity initiatives.
“I kind of was a little pissed at our governor — it was a little bit of a protest,” Rasura said. “It was kind of like well, we’re here, we’re queer and we’re not leaving.”
Rasura said this was a productive solution for students in the community to come together and organize while enhancing their journalism skills.
OutFAU, privately funded by OutSFL, prints monthly and covers everything from hard news stories to reviews and profiles.
The upcoming issue in October will focus on the elections.
Rasura said it’s a good example of how the paper can incorporate LGBTQ voices into everyday news stories.
Florida voters are set to decide this November whether to legalize recreational marijuana and expand abortion access. Rasura said the paper plans to survey students on the ballot questions.
“Abortion is really a thing that affects all kinds of communities,” she said. “And for the marijuana amendment, a lot of people in the queer community tend to be more progressive leaning.”
The newspaper hasn’t been without critics.
Rasura said when local station WPTV covered OutFAU in May, its Facebook post promoting the article attracted more than 800 comments.
While some were supportive, many were “really homophobic,” she said.
Here are a few: “Jobless Activities,” “That's okay, just as long as my tax dollars don't fund it,” “DEI - DIDN'T EARN IT!” and “Great can't wait to see how the new psychiatric ward comes along.”
“There’s so much political stuff (on Facebook) and it’s such a way to get an idea of the climate,” she said. “It just reminds me that homophobia is alive and real.”
Sometimes, she said, living in her own bubble with supportive friends and mom makes her forget she’s in the minority.
In another instance, the newspaper published an event preview of a talk by an Israeli transgender veteran with “IDF soldier” in the headline, angering some readers.
“Using the phrasing ‘IDF soldier’ in the headline framed this event as a political event when it was focused on the trans experience from an individual Israeli’s perspective,” Rasura said in her editorial, “I recognize that this event should have been covered differently,” but ignoring it would have been a disservice.
Rasura’s goal now is to build an infrastructure for OutFAU to continue after she graduates this December. The paper has five staffers and about 10 registered students. It applies for university funding next semester.
“I’m really laying down the groundwork and I’m still going to be involved after I graduate, mentoring whoever takes over after me,” she said. “I want it to live on.”
🏳️🌈 LGBTQ-focused, student-run publications
OutFAU isn’t the only queer college newspaper. Here are at least two more:
Fusion Magazine at Kent State University: It recently published an article to add context to viral moments — such as abortion and transgender operations — from the presidential debate last week.
The Michigan Gayly at the University of Michigan: The outlet has published a five-part series called “The Importance of Youth Liberation for Queer Activism.” The first part ran November 2022, and the final part May 2024.
I found others, but they’re no longer active, including Closet Magazine at Middlebury College, The OutCrowd Magazine at Syracuse University and Lambda at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.
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📅 Happening This Wednesday:
Join The Nutgraf’s webinar this Wednesday at 5-6 p.m. ET to hear how college journalism prepared these young journalists for their first jobs/internships.
🗣️ From the Debate:
Story Spotlight:
💯 The Penn at Indiana University of Pennsylvania is turning 100 this fall, and the editor-in-chief called it the “Penn-tennial.”
🆕 The student newspaper at California State University Long Beach changed its name from The Daily Niner to Long Beach Current, citing the former name’s tie with the mistreatment of Indigenous people.
💸 The Rider News, one of New Jersey’s oldest student newspapers, is phasing out its print edition.
📊 Affirmative action was reversed a year ago. Student journalists reported mixed impacts on student of color enrollment.
The Wellesley News at Wellesley College reported an increase in Asian and white students and a dip in Black and Hispanic enrollment.
Meanwhile, at elite schools, Yale Daily News reported the numbers for Hispanic/Black students remain flat while The Brown Daily Herald reported a 40% drop in the share of Black students.
🎧 The Journalism Salute’s interview with Vivienne Serret, a student journalist at the University of Florida, discusses the reporting process for The Alligator Independent’s Ben Sasse stories.
Featured Opportunities:
There’s a free virtual election coverage training Sept. 16 (tonight).
The Student Press Law Center is hosting a webinar about the legal rights student journalists have in covering elections Sept. 26.
The Lever in Denver is looking for a part-time, remote editorial fellow.
Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism is constantly recruiting reporting interns for its spring, summer and fall intern cohorts.
Tegna is looking for entry-level journalists for its producer-in-residence program to work in one of its more than 40 markets.
The News Associate Program at CNN is accepting applications for New York and Washington, D.C.