Michael Riley identifies as queer to express both his racial identity and sexual orientation, which he said gives him greater control over the development of his image.

“It allows me to create my own image of what I would like people to think when they think about me and my sexual orientation,” Riley said. “When someone uses the term ‘gay,’ that individual just doesn’t have a lot of things in connection with me. I think (of) someone that is white, from a different socioeconomic space, maybe interested in different things. And I just think those aren’t really my adjectives.”

As the new assistant director for the LGBT Resource Center, Riley works to provide resources for other students of marginalized identities.

Riley said that much of his focus as assistant director has been on facilitating various discussion groups for members of the Syracuse University community to get together. One of these groups, Fusion, gears discussion specifically toward LGBT students of color.

“I feel like one common thread (in the challenges faced by LGBT students of color) is that these identities are very salient, both racial and sexual orientation,” Riley said. “Both their identities become very important to them.”

With a small team comprised of four senior faculty members, Riley said he and his “mighty staff” at the LGBT resource center have been working to provide both formal and informal services to all members of the SU community.

“I think it’s cool to see (the LGBT Resource Center) as both as a place of business, where students are able to get support, but also a place where someone can just sit down on the couch and watch an episode of ‘Charmed’ or ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer,’” Riley said. “(They can) just sit for a minute and not have to worry.”

In furthering its mission, the center has also created partnerships with a variety of offices on campus, including the Disability Cultural Center and Office of Multicultural Affairs.

Moving forward, Riley said he is excited to continue working with students of marginalized identities.

“I look forward for us to really bringing about some new ways thinking about gender and sexuality,” Riley said. “I’m hoping we can all learn to reexamine and reimagine the ways we support our students across the board.”

Published on September 17, 2014 at 12:01 am

Contact Jesse: jlnich02@syr.edu