LGBTQIA+ | October 15th, 2024

Romance as an LGBTQ+ Student Through Soraya Johnson’s Lens

By: Trinity Talton | Online Editor

Finding that “HBCU Love” is something that many students at FAMU dream of. But finding romance in college can be challenging to navigate, especially for LGBTQ+ students. Queer student dating experiences are unique and can look different than other students.

This reflects the dating experiences of Soraya Johnson, a first-year information technology student. She identifies as bisexual and transfeminine. While she hasn’t been at FAMU long, she has had her fair share of experience finding romance on campus. Johnson expressed that it has been difficult to find potential partners on campus, especially because of her identity.

“It’s hard to find people, even within the queer community, who understand me,” Johnson said. “It feels like if I ever had a crush on someone cisgender, it would be no use trying to go after them because they may not fully see me for who I am or understand me.”

It can often be harder for LGBTQ+ people to meet others in person due to unique factors. According to an article by Gallup, 7.6% of individuals identify as LGBTQ+ in 2023 in the United States, which is up 4% from 2013. However, 7.6% is still a very small portion of individuals in the nation, leaving fewer opportunities for LGBTQ+ people to find each other in person.

Along with that, queer people can also be subject to rejection and violence from their non-LGBTQ+ counterparts. According to an article from Business Insider, around 1,000 hate crimes against LGBTQ+ individuals are reported annually in the nation, and the acceptance of queer people has declined in 18 to 34-year-olds.

Johnson has also struggled with finding other people with a similar identity to hers on campus. She expressed that not knowing any other transfem women like her has made her feel isolated.

“Not really knowing any transfem people on campus has had a big effect on me,” Johnson said. “It makes me feel very alone and like I don’t fit in. I wish I had people like me who have similar experiences whom I can confide in.”

These issues have led to Johnson exploring dating off campus and seeking romance through dating apps, which is very common for LGBTQ+ individuals. According to a 2022 Pew Research Center study, about 51% of LGBTQ+ people have used a dating app to find connections.

“I have used many different dating apps in my life, like Hinge, Tinder, HER, and Taimi,” Johnson says. “I had had mostly mixed experiences using them, but overall, I did not enjoy trying to date this way. What tends to happen is then we talk for a while and stop. I didn’t really make any connections.”

However, these obstacles haven’t stopped Johnson from finding love at FAMU. She has started her own HBCU love story with a potential love interest on campus who she is currently developing a romance with. She has also been able to find friends and community on campus who support her.

“My friends support me well-ish,” Johnson stated. “We just naturally became friends. A lot of them still don’t understand me well or get my pronouns wrong, but they do try their best with me.”

Through Johnson’s experiences, she has learned a lot about herself and finding love. She has shared some advice for finding queer community and romance on campus.

“I don’t recommend going into dating straight from dating apps and moving too fast in relationships,” Johnson said. “Joining clubs and organizations on campus can help to find other people as well. The most obvious thing is just to put yourself out there and make new friends, and if you happen to develop feelings, you can decide to take things further.”