The UA Feminist Caucus hosted the second annual State of the (Queer) Union Address Oct. 21 in the Ferguson Student Center addressing the issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community today.

The panel specifically focused on representation for the LGBTQ+ community in politics, the issue of marriage equality, what the term “queer” actually means, and the restoration of religious freedom acts.

Ben Raye, event coordinator for the UAFC, facilitated the panel consisting of Dr. Barbara Brickman, assistant professor of media and gender studies in the New College; Brandon Hooks, a senior majoring in economics and international studies; and Carly Calhoun, a second-year law student at the University. 

The 70 attendees, including SGA President Elliot Spillers, were encouraged to participate in the discussion and ask questions.

The panel was asked what ways they think the passage of marriage equality is beneficial and detrimental, and Hooks said it’s detrimental at times because there’s no end to equality. 

“The biggest issue is you still don’t have job protections, you can still get kicked out of your health insurance plan, you can have your children taken away, you can be discriminated against by a person passing you by. So, it’s detrimental on that for a lot of people to have the mindset of okay, we’re done now, which I don’t think we’re done at all,” Hooks said. 

Hooks also said, for him, the main issue affecting the LGBTQ+ community at the University is the queer community not being looked at as an “other” on campus. 

“I think it’s really about where students, faculty, anybody on this campus feels comfortable being queer and not having to react to that in a negative way,” he said.