By Lizz Panchyk
Students Beyond the Binary (SBB) is a new organization, as of fall 2022, at Adelphi that was
created by senior Mylo Fisherman. The purpose of this club is to create a safe space for transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) students and their allies on Adelphi’s campus. As a community, they aid and educate our university on TGNC topics and issues and empower students to feel comfortable no matter their gender identity.
“As former president of the GSA, I saw that there was a need to create a second group focused on trans and gender non-conforming (TGNC) individuals as GSA did not have the capacity to touch upon a variety of TGNC topics while also touching upon a variety of LGB topics in the limited time we have in a semester,” said Fisherman, the club’s president. “My intent in creating this organization was to make the TGNC community have their voices heard on campus and to have a place where their issues will be brought up consistently and effortlessly by a group of individuals who are as passionate about this topic as I am.”
It is currently a club of about 20 members and they meet weekly in the UC room 118/119 and on Zoom on Fridays from 2-3 pm. Their event time is Tuesdays from 7-8 pm (location TBD).
This community welcomes TGNC students with warm and accepting arms and allows all kinds of topics to be discussed in the comfort of their friends. Its ability to bring people together is one of the reasons why Fisherman created this organization.
“SBB for me is a place where I can stand firmly with my transness around others in a world where I have to either dilute it or hide it completely,” said sophomore Wynn Andersen who’s in charge of public relations at SBB. “I can be assured of myself and provide a space where there is stable support for trans people who are less assured of themselves.”
SBB kicked off their first event with a Toast to SBB. The club did fun activities together like coloring and bracelet making and also shared a bit about themselves and why they joined. They then toasted to the beginning of the club and for all they can do and accomplish together in the future as a group. Fisherman said, “Being able to hear first-hand that I have made an impact on the students in SBB touches my heart in ways words can’t even describe.”
They also will be organizing other events and fundraisers like the Trans Santa Fundraiser in December. “Trans Santa is an amazing organization that raises money to buy gifts for TGNC kids who are homeless, in the foster care system, or in unaccepting households or in unsafe conditions for Christmas,” Fisherman said. “We will be selling holiday treats in order to raise money for this organization whose purpose I absolutely adore.”
Expanding our community on campus and raising awareness is very important, which is why new clubs are always being founded. If SBB interests you, you can check out their Instagram @adelphisbb or email them at sbb@adelphi.edu.