Brand New Badger: Transgender freshman works to bring LGBTQ+ advocacy, activism to UW
UW freshman Simone Williams is the program and outreach coordinator at the LGBT Campus Center and the only freshman on staff. Williams is also transgender, black, a part of First Wave, an activist, a sex educator, a poet, a singer, a songwriter and a playwright. Emily Hamer
Though it’s only a month into the school year, University of Wisconsin freshman Simone Williams is already making waves on campus.
Williams, whose pronouns are the gender neutral “they, “them” and “theirs”, is the only freshman on staff this year at the LGBT Campus Center. As program and outreach coordinator at the center, Williams organizes events for LGBTQ+ students and the campus community.
The first event Williams spearheaded was a zine-making social geared toward trans students. Zines are a form of art where the creator cuts out magazine pieces to create something meaningful. The workshop was held on Rosh Hashanah, a Jewish holiday, so Williams encouraged students to interact with both their religion and gender.
I have all these ideas and all these things that I want to challenge and fix just within university life for LGBT students
Simone Williams
For the LGBTQ+, transgender and cisgender students who attended, Williams gave prompts aimed to inspire, whether that be personifying their gender, making the zine communicate with their sexuality or illustrating how gender influences their spiritual beliefs.
“We were able to have some really stimulating conversations about being trans on campus while art making together,” Williams says.
In William’s zine, they used a picture of Laverne Cox, then added hands protecting Cox and text that read, “protect black, trans bodies” — something that resonates with Williams, who is both black and transgender.
This, however, is not Williams’ only avenue for making art. Williams, who was heavily involved in the art scene in their hometown of Minneapolis, is part of the 11th cohort of First Wave, a scholarship program that works to cultivate urban art, spoken word and hip-hop art.
Simone Williams (middle) stands with the cast of “Battle Fatigue,” a play that Williams wrote and directed in Minneapolis. The show was about the prison-industrial complex, race and mental health within those contexts. Courtesy of Paul Ulstrad
Williams is primarily a poet, and First Wave allows them to express that part of themself. Williams is also a songwriter, singer and playwright and wants to bring that art to Madison as well.
But art isn’t the only thing Williams wants to bring to campus. Williams also feels a responsibility to cultivate conversations about diversity and educate campus about what it means to be transgender.
While Williams’ identity intersects across the lines of sexual orientation, gender and race since they are queer, transgender and black, Williams says being transgender draws the most questions. For Williams’, it’s almost like being under a “magnifying glass.”
“I’ve had a lot of communicating just about what does it mean to use they, them, theirs pronouns, and what does it mean to not fit inside a strict gender binary in such a binary world,” Williams says.
Sometimes these conversations are frustrating, like when people ask Williams about their sex life, genitals or how Williams knows that they are queer. Still, Williams wants to work to spark conversations about cultural competency on campus, particularly for LGBTQ+ students.
One issue that’s important to Williams is advocating for gender neutral bathrooms. When Williams was applying for housing, the University said they couldn’t promise Williams a gender neutral bathroom in their dorm. First Wave worked to make sure Williams had a comfortable living space, and Williams now lives in a single room with their own bathroom, something that makes them feel safe.
“They cared enough about me to adjust my housing,” Williams says. “First Wave took the initiative to make sure that I was comfortable, and took the initiative to make sure that I could exist in my body.”
With First Wave, Williams says when they came to campus they felt like they had an “immediate family.” When things get hard, Williams knows they can call a First Waver because there’s that network of support there.
Williams performs in a play called “Into the Red” in Minneapolis. The performers created dance, poetry and performance art scenes about education, racial injustice, sexual assault and womanhood. At the time of the show Williams still identified as a woman. Courtesy of Ozomatli Zarate
But Williams wants to make sure that is the case for all students, which is part of the reason they joined the LGBT Campus center.
“I had an interview [with the LGBT Campus Center] and I was just like, ‘I have all these ideas and all these things that I want to challenge and fix just within university life for LGBT students,’” Williams said. “And they were like, ‘Great let’s do it!’”
Williams wants to educate campus about LGBTQ+ issues and ensure all LGBTQ+ students have access to proper bathrooms. As program and outreach coordinator, Williams hopes to organize more events for campus to talk about cultural competency.
Ultimately Williams aims to bring advocacy, activism and change to the greater Madison area as well. In Minneapolis, Williams volunteered at three nonprofit groups, taught sex education at local organizations and helped organize protests. Williams wants to start community building here too.
“I love rally, I love protest, but I also think where most changes come from is community conversation,” Williams says. “I would love to work with those organizers who can pull those numbers for a rally and talk to them like, how do we lead a workshop about privilege? How do we have an art making event around race?”
Whether through conversation, protest, advocacy or art, Williams hopes to make a difference in the world. Williams wants to help students bring knowledge out of the classroom and “mobilize.”
3 Questions with Simone Williams
Why I chose UW–Madison: First Wave was a huge part of it, but I also knew I would have the opportunity to gain knowledge, experience brand new things and get this really significant piece of paper. I just think of this diploma and this education as a tool to change the world.
I come from communities who are broke and who don’t have access to these $50 words. And I even use them when I say the word “institution” or “white supremacy.” Those are big words that are being held captive in books and in professors here. All this education is being held captive. What I’m going to do is get all this education and like put it in a bag and bring it all the way back with me and teach all of my friends everything I know. That’s why I chose it. It’s going to give me a platform to do what I want to do in the world and change the world, hopefully.
What I’m most looking forward to this year: First Wave has a required FIG. I’m excited to step out of the FIG and explore all of my educational options. I’m also excited to continue to learn this campus and continue to learn its student body because there’s 43,000 of us. I want to be able to bridge as many gaps as possible.
Something on my Bucky list: I want to eat in every dining hall on campus at least once.