The Columbia Queer Alliance (CQA) is the central Columbia student
organization that represents the lesbian, gay, transgender, and
questioning student population. It is the OLDEST gay student
organization (GSO) in the world, founded as the Student Homophile
League in 1966. The original organization had twelve members, who
fought with the Columbia administration for a year before their
organization was officially recognized. Lifelong gay activist Stephen
Donaldson, who is commemorated today by a plaque in the lounge that
bears his name in Furnald Hall, spearheaded the creation of the group.
When the charter was finally granted on April 19, 1967, it caused such
a stir that the New York Times printed the story on the front page, and
the Columbia Spectator reported that some students believed that the
creation of the group was an April Fools' joke! Various institutions
such as Cornell University and New York University followed suit,
causing a wave of gay and lesbian student activism the years leading up
to the Stonewall Rebellion in June of 1969.
In the years
hence, with a notable hiatus several years ago, the group has hosted
the famous First Friday Dances, which at their inception were one of
the very few places where college-age gays and lesbians could truly be
themselves. Today our organization seeks to keep in time with the
changing needs of our community, and we stand as heralds for the
representation and protection of the LGBTQ community.
