Bridge-Building Contributions of LGBTQ College Students

Queer and trans (QT) people routinely take risks when befriending those who are politically (and often religiously) different from them. The costs can be considerable, especially when unlikely friends take positions that undermine the humanity and wholeness of the QT community. The recent New York Times story of the friendship break-up between JD Vance and his Yale Law School colleague, Sofia Nelson, who is transgender, is one painful example. Although the two were politically different upon meeting, their email correspondence over the years illuminates the depth of their exchanges as well as the warmth and goodwill between them. The friendship fell apart when Vance moved to publicly support a ban on gender-affirming health care for minors in Arkansas. It was a step too far for Nelson, whose own well-being had hinged on access to gender-affirming care.