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Reneé Evans DC’98; Zaneta Rago-Craft, director of the Center for Social Justice Education and LGBT Communities; and Geralyn Williams SAS’15. Seated, left to right: Filip Wojcik SAS’16, Ryan Filtz SEBS’16, Bill Matthews RC’81, and Kyle Hartmann SAS’13.

Photography: 
John O'Boyle

As the university’s overall body of graduates expands in both size and diversity, so too do the chartered organizations of the Rutgers University Alumni Association. Some of these groups are in formative stages. Some engage alumni whose communities have been marginalized through history. All bring depth and variety to the tapestry of alumni life.

Spotlight on: The Rutgers University Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual (LGBTQIA) Alumni Association

Who they are: The Rutgers LGBTQIA Alumni Association is an emerging group, meeting regularly as it welcomes new members and develops a long-term vision. Spanning a wide range of class years and academic units, the group is united in its determination to help raise awareness of LGBTQIA issues in the Rutgers alumni community and to create new channels of action and dialogue through which LGBTQIA students and alumni alike can discover a fulfilling future.

What they do: Honoring the legacy of earlier Rutgers LGBTQIA activists, this group has an array of substantial goals. Its first major initiative will be an LGBTQIA reunion on April 29, 2018, in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Center for Social Justice Education and LGBT Communities. Other objectives include raising money for the LGBTQIA Student Emergency Fund Scholarship, boosting turnout for Rutgers’ 20th annual Rainbow Graduation, and presenting a variety of networking and mentoring activities throughout the year.

“This group is focused on building a stronger network of LGBTQIA graduates,” says Zaneta Rago-Craft, director of the Center for Social Justice Education and LGBT Communities and a soon-to-be alumna herself. “To all Rutgers alumni who are drawn to the group’s goals, its message is this: Rutgers has a thriving LGBTQIA student community that needs to hear your stories. This group is here to welcome you home.”

To learn more about how to get involved, visit Ralumni.com/RUAAgroup. For more information about the LGBTQIA reunion on April 29, visit Ralumni.com/LGBTreunion.