John Gabriel, 21, is a graduating senior at the University of Chicago, and has been actively involved in queer student life all four years of college. During his second year, he campaigned to bring free, anonymous HIV testing to the university and coordinated with Howard Brown Health Services to provide the testing in the interim. This year, the university began officially coordinating this testing. Additionally, during his third year, John began campaigning to create an official University LGBTQ Student Resource Center, which resulted in the university announcing plans to create an expanded Diversity Center with an LGBTQ Resource Center. Moreover, as a fourth year, he has sat on the University’s LGBTQ Student Support Steering Committee, helping to plan events and create policy to improve support for queer students, faculty and staff.
John has been active in the two major queer undergraduate student organizations on campus, Queers & Associates and QueeReligious. He founded the latter group, which seeks to create a safe space for queer students seeking to reconcile their sexual and religious identities.
DID YOU KNOW? John is also a trombonist and a residence assistant.