‘Gender Affirming Closet’ gives free clothes to queer, transgender students
Cal State Fullerton’s new “Gender Affirming Closet” gives free clothes to transgender students, citing discrimination in transgender students' shopping experience.
Multiple universities throughout the country offer similar programs that provide free clothing to queer students.
The “Gender Affirming Closet” on Cal State Fullerton’s campus provides free clothes and accessories, including chest binders.
LGBT Queer Resource Center Coordinator Nat Betancourt Arellano told CSUF News that the space, which open last month, is there for “transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming students to feel empowered to express themselves authentically.”
The closet, which opened in September, offers an assortment of clothes Students are allowed to take two outfits home free each month.
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“Many transgender and gender non-conforming individuals may experience prejudice, harassment and embarrassment when shopping for clothes in public; they may be scrutinized for purchasing clothes that do not ‘match’ their gender,” Betancourt told the outlet. “We’re addressing this issue so that Cal State Fullerton’s intersectional queer student population has access to clothes without gender discrimination or shame.”
Clothes in the closet are supplied through donations from the community.
Another Cal State campus, Fresno State, offers a similar program called the “Q Clothing Closet,” which was founded in 2018 and offers pop-up shops multiple times per semesters.
LGBTQ students receive free clothes at numerous schools across the country, including the University of North Texas, UC Davis, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Campus Reform reached out to every university and individual mentioned in the article but did not hear back in time for publication.
