The Queer Studies House (QSH—pronounced kwish) is an academic interest house, located behind Proctor Dining Hall and to the left of Chellis House, with the mission of promoting the academic pursuit of queer studies and creating a safe space for students of all sexual and gender identities. Established in the spring of 2008 (learn more about QSH’s history), the house is three years old, and it is our belief that it is becoming a central institution at Middlebury.

We encourage you to meet our residents, read more about our physical space (70 Hillcrest) and our mission, check out our events and long-term projects, browse our library and the many queer studies courses you can take at Middlebury, and find out how you can become a QSH resident! And if you’re a prospective student, be sure to check out the other resources available to you at Midd.

We hope you stop by sometime, and would love for you to get in touch with us (and join our mailing list!) by e-mailing queerstudieshouse@middlebury.edu!☺

On a typical Thursday evening, senior Christine Bachman is busy hosting students at the Queer Studies House, a residential academic interest house with a focus on queer studies. These evenings are called “Thursday Teas.” Sipping tea and eating cookies, Bachman and the four other residents of the house start informal conversations on a variety of topics related to queer studies, an emerging interdisciplinary field that critiques traditional norms of sexuality and gender. Sometimes, as many as 30 or 40 students stop by for these gatherings.

“Students get to know and relate to each other on a personal level that in turn enables a safe, open, varied discussion about issues of difference,” explains sophomore Catarina Campbell, who frequently attends these gatherings.

As co-president of the Middlebury Open-Queer Alliance (MOQA), Bachman was one of the three chief architects of the proposal for the Queer Studies House. The proposal was approved by Community Council last year. (Middlebury Stories Archive)

Here are some articles from the Middlebury Campus about the founding of the Queer Studies House:

• “Council hears new house proposal” (12/6/07)
• “SGA supports Queer House” (1/24/08)
• “Queer Studies House okayed” (2/14/08)