Whats Queer: Nebraska Wesleyan and DAME

The Queer Community of NWU and University Place

In a society intimidated by individuality, North Lincoln is fighting to bring community to the Queer teens and young adults currently void of a safe space.

The Nebraska Wesleyan University Pride Alliance is “showcasing that Wesleyan is not afraid to stand with its LGBTQIA+ students [...] and getting students off campus,” the current president, Daniel

McMullen, said.

McMullen has been a member of the alliance for a few years; the spring of 2025 marks his placement as the club's president.

They stand up for this underrepresented community, which is so vital to the students of NWU through events, activities and advocacy across Lincoln.

Once under the name Plainsman Pride in the 90’s, the club continues the fights to bring attention, education, and support to the surrounding community.

According to the club's constitution, they preach “a safe atmosphere for Wesleyan’s LGBTQIA+ community and allies, provide resources concerning relevant issues, educate students, faculty, staff, and the surrounding community by providing accurate information and dispelling myths/stereotypes,” said McMullen.

To achieve this, they are aiming to reach out to other queer-friendly locations such as DAME, in University Place, and Das House located downtown to spread their outreach further than just the NWU campus.

Activities in these locations allow students and young adults to explore these LGBTQ+ sanctuaries.

The attempts of this club highlight the importance of “outreach and activism [...] it’s about showing up, not just for each other but for our communities,” for both those native to Lincoln and transfer students, McMullen said.

According to the Postsecondary National Policy Institute, a survey by the Association of American Universities (AAU) found that “60% of transgender college students reported that they feared for their physical safety due to their gender identity or their perceived sexual orientation” In a time where being different can mean that one's safety and life is at risk, clubs like the NWU Pride Alliance are increasingly important. This group of 24 members provides asylum to those students who fear for their safety as a result of simply being their own person.

To accommodate these students, some of the things NWU is doing include: providing 11 gender inclusive restrooms across campus, their Office of Diversity and Inclusion, informing students of accessible resources such as, OutNebraska/Nebraska's LGBTQ+ Community, The Trevor

Project, Trans Lifeline, Transgender Resources from NWU Library and Winslow's Wardrobe, according to their website.

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion facilitates “Respect, Belonging, Community and Growth” to foster a nurturing environment of diverse identities to prove their acceptance and collaboration to achieve shared goals, according to the official website.

The NWU Pride Alliance is fundamental in these attempts to start the conversation of acceptance, collaboration and personal development to successfully enrich the lives of those in the community.

This community is vital, as of 2021, the AAU reported that Transgender students attending college were more likely to experience intimate partner violence and stalking than their cisgender peers.

A recent event on campus focused on the importance of building a welcoming community, something that brings attention to transgender students with hopes of eliminating violence and beginning the conversation for inclusivity.

They “welcomed three local bands, made up of queer and trans-identifying players to Wesleyan's campus called, Queer Bands for Queer Fun,” with a turnout of over 40 people from across Lincoln, McMullen said.

Thanks to events such as this, queer students become aware of this alliance.

“Wesleyan has done an excellent job pushing the Pride club, as well as other options and opportunities for students who struggle with gender or sexual identity struggles,“ Freshman Joce Cheney said.

They were adamant about the inclusivity on campus as well as the surrounding area, despite wishes for more pride events, business, education and normalization within the wider community.

To accomplish this, there are goals for the alliance and DAME, an inclusive lounge and bar targeted at the LGBTQ+ community, to work together.

This is an exciting goal of outreach as DAME hosts “Sapphic Poetry Night, fundraisers for local businesses,” DAME Drag Night, and events for college-age students, said McMullen.

DAME was born from the fantastic mind of Cassie Tate and her co-owner, Lauren, looking to fill in the missing space of a queer inclusive lounge in North Lincoln and choose a feminine and empowering name not already taken.

“The real intention of DAME is to give queer people and allies a place where they can be their true, authentic selves. I absolutely think that mission has been accomplished,” Tate said.

In doing this, they support all kinds of drag artists from old to new. Their drag nights are a “great stepping stone for newbies,” Tate said.

Despite their advertising and activity trials and failures, as well as the financial ups and downs with attempting to get their building up to code before they opened, they continue to thrive.

The DAME lounge gives the LGBTQ+ in UNI Place a location, “full of love and acceptance,” close to home in a city where most of the community is confined to downtown, Tate said.

These goals of inclusion are at the forefront of both DAME and the Pride Alliance's endeavors.

Despite these highlights of NWU, the college could improve its outreach by hosting “workshops and small events to inform members of the community, and [lead to] normalization by bringing people together in a fun and engaging way to unite a group and educate those who previously wouldn't be bothered,” Cheney said.

To create a society of informed and supportive individuals, clubs like this are fundamental to paving this path.

President McMullen highlighted the Queer Bands for Queer Fun event, as it was one of the first big things they achieved.

Over the decades of the club's activity, they have made an impact on both the alumni and current students at NWU.

On Instagram, they post for Bisexual Awareness Week, ARO/ACE Awareness, Transgender Day of Remembrance, and many other vital days for the queer community. This is an excellent way for the local college and Lincoln community to stay updated and engaged.

Looking to get involved? Follow their Instagram @nwu_pride, pop by the Cochrane-Woods Library for Hub Happenings, their booth at the yearly Star City Pride Festival, observe the Trans Inclusiveness Committee, or join some of the members for their weekly meetings on the NWU Campus hosted by their three executive officers: President, Vice President, and an Activities Officer.