Brooke C. is a pseudonym for a student at Cedarville University. She is “using a pseudonym as I fear for my safety and expect retaliation from my school, including disciplinary action and expulsion, if my true identity were known.” She identifies as demisexual.

She does not feel safe at all being out on campus and is only out to a few trusted friends. This is because Cedarville has a strict adherence to its student handbook, which details many anti-LGBTQ+ policies and positions. Brooke has seen gay students disissed after coming out, and she worries about her own dismissal if someone were to learn that she is a part of the LGBTQ+ community and in a longtime romantic relationship with someone who is non-binary.

“I am taking the risk of sharing my experience in order to protect and honor all of the queer kids that have come before us and who will follow after us,” she said. “We are deserving of safety and freedom and our liberation is worth fighting tooth and nail for.”

Brooke is raising her voice to protect all LGBTQ+ students at Cedarville University and religiously affiliated colleges across the country.