From a quick scroll on YikYak to a conversation with a queer friend, it isn’t uncommon to hear the term Chesbian on the grounds of Chatham University.
So what does it even mean to be a Chesbian?
In the simplest terms, a Chesbian is a person who identified as any sexual orientation outside of lesbianism, and then began identifying as a lesbian after attending Chatham University. This definition can be traced to a 2005 post on Urban Dictionary. While this term is somewhat prevalent in campus lingo, the origins of Chesbian remain unknown.
This seemingly magical power of Chatham to lead to a newfound realization and declaration of love for our non-male aligned counterparts is one that has occurred enough to deem it a word within students’ lexicon. This interesting and unique Chatham tale opens the floodgates of queer history at the University – one that is rich, full and significant to the core values of this institution.
Established in 1869, Chatham University was an all-women’s college founded as the Pennsylvania Female College. In 1890, it was declared the Pennsylvania College for Women, Chatham College in 1955 and then Chatham University in 2007.
In 1994, Chatham started offering graduate programs to all genders. In 2015, then-President Esther Barazzone announced that Chatham would need to become an all-gender institution to survive financially.
Through the Jennie Mellon King Library archives, those interested can find historical photos, documents, letters, building plans and more. These collections include archived student-run media outlets – some of which include anonymous poetry from “Purplepeopleeater,” a lesbian writer featured in The Matrix, the student newspaper in the 1970s.
Purplepeopleeater wrote a series of poems from 1974-75 in a series titled “Purplepeopleeaters’ Pennings.”
“It is not true that all lesbians spit on the sidewalk and wear vests, / Neither are they all after your ass. / Some are charming. / A few are good-looking. / They all have mommies and daddies and sisters and brothers and goldfish and dogs. / Some have lovers. / Lesbians are women who love women,” reads one of the poems published on Feb. 7, 1975.
In a letter to the editor on May 5, 1975, Purplepeopleeater wrote a farewell that details their experience coming to terms with their sexuality at the University and grappling with the fear of leaving campus.
“This year the lesbians were not only beautiful but open and honest and claiming that most of the campus is gay and just waiting to be asked. In two weeks I’ll be in a job with men and straight women and a sense of guilt and fear you wouldn’t believe,” they wrote. “Here there are 500 women who won’t laugh in your face or try to get you arrested if you tell them you love them. In two weeks I’ll be in my apartment wishing I was at Chatham. And hiding.”
Columnist Jessica Scharding was a writer for the Communiqué from 1993-94, her work consisting of the column “Cataluna,” a series regarding her thoughts on womanhood, feminism, lesbianism and the queer movement.
On Oct. 6, 1993, the “Cataluna” column featured a series of letters from lesbian and bisexual students in celebration of National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11.
“For some people, labels clarify; for me, they limit,” wrote Caroline Weaver, a featured writer in the column. “I don’t desire to place any boundaries on my capacity or willingness to love, and to be loved. I am determined to love whom I love for themselves, not for (or in spite of) their religion, or race or gender.”
Beyond the archives, queer history is all around Chatham University. Queer Student Alliance board member Dom Randall ‘27 spoke regarding the queer foundations of the Shadyside campus.
“One of my little favorite things at Chatham is the little bricks at the beginning of the pond. There’s a brick that says ‘To Chatham queer students, past, present and future.’ I always think about that because, you know, I think there has always been a place for us here,” they said.
