QCROSS: Campus Organization and Documentary Focus on Intersection of Sexuality And Faith

In 2010 our nation was plagued with a rash of teen suicides in the LGBTQ community. At the time, Krista Rowe was a student on the MSU campus who saw the need to build a faith community among her LGBTQ friends on campus. Rev. Jenn Tafel volunteered to offer clergy support, and Queer Christians Reclaiming Our Sexuality and Spirituality (“QCROSS”) was born at MSU that fall as a response to the tragedy.

Several students collaborated along with help from Religious Adviser Rev. Jenn Tafel to create a space that would be inviting and safe for students on MSU’s campus to freely express their sexuality and spirituality. QCROSS has been growing semester by semester since its beginning. Their mission statement is “to serve as disciples of Christ who explore Christianity and spread God’s loving message to others through education and outreach.” Their mission is also to "foster a supportive environment for community and fellowship at Michigan State University.”

The group currently meets each Wednesday night at 7:30 pm in University Lutheran Church’s Campus Lounge to talk about issues of spirituality and sexuality in their community. They engage in Bible study and discussion, social gatherings, game nights, and worship. The group has an informative website at qcrossmsu.org that includes a blog written by several contributors supporting a wide range of perspectives on topics important to the LGBTQ community. 

The group garnered attention on the national level after presenting at the Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference (“MBLGTACC”) hosted by MSU. After the presentation, there was interest from other campuses anxious to form similar communities. In response to this need, QCROSS members created the documentary titled Affirmed.

According to Steven Kandow, one of the group’s members, the film “explores accounts of various Michigan State University students and residents of the Lansing/East Lansing, Michigan area describing their experiences and viewpoints regarding the intersection of sexuality and spirituality. This film offers insight into how affirmation of a person’s sexual and spiritual identities enhances their understanding of both by highlighting the beautiful potential for growth in an environment that embraces the entirety of human identity and experience.”

QCROSS plans to distribute the film to over 200 University resource centers across the country by the end of 2014. They hope Affirmed helps to “inform other campuses of the benefits of a group like QCROSS and gives them ideas of how to start a group,” says Rev. Tafel.

The documentary will be shown in several churches around East Lansing and Lansing with the premier in November at First Presbyterian Lansing. Dates and times will be published on the organization’s website, Facebook page, and Twitter account.

QCROSS is currently in the process of becoming a 501 (c)3 organization, and they are looking for donations for materials and production supplies to complete their mission for Affirmed. If you are interested in helping out, contact affirmedthemovie@gmail.com for information on donations. 

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