Rachel Barrow
Item
Name
Rachel Barrow
Biography
Rachel Barrow, one of the original members of University of Alabama’s Gay Student Union (GSU), was born on June 11, 1960, in West Point, Georgia, where she lived all her childhood. She attended UA from 1978-1984, graduating in 1982 with a B.S. in Biology and in 1984 with a Master’s, also in biology. Currently, she resides in Decatur, Georgia, where she works as a Resident Nurse. For Rachel Barrow, membership in the GSU was an important opportunity to be more visible as a lesbian woman. At the time the GSU was founded, Barrow had only identified as a lesbian for a few years, mostly to herself and those closest to her. She mentions in her interview an exchange she had with her sister, who said when Barrow first came out to her that she’d never known any gay people before; Barrow, incredulous, thought, “Well, of course you have. You have to have.” Barrow cites this as an important influence in her decision to become more visible as a lesbian on campus through participating in the political advocacy efforts of the GSU. Barrow was one of the original ten members who volunteered to be listed on the club’s first roster, a requirement for the club to become chartered by the Student Government Association. She spoke to classes and organizations on campus as part of the GSU’s speakers’ bureau and fielded questions from curious students about what it was like to be gay. Barrow also helped curate the library that the GSU formed—first in a member’s apartment, and later, in the Reese Phifer building. Upon reflection, Barrow finds the most important part of her time in the GSU to be the simple rebellion of its official existence. By forcing the university to acknowledge the existence of queer students on campus, Barrow says the GSU, hopefully, was able to prevent bigotry and encourage other queer students.
Organization
Gay Student Union
State
Alabama
Key Words
Activist, Organizer
