When Yue Zhang, a doctoral student in biophysics, arrived at Cornell in 2022, she was surprised to find that the university didn’t have a gender-affirming clothing stockroom like the one she frequented as an undergraduate at University of Texas, Dallas.

“That’s how I built up a lot of my feminine wardrobe,” said Zhang, who identifies as transgender. “I have all these things that I got thanks to the kindness of others, so I thought it’d be really nice if others could have that as well.”

The efforts eventually led to the Life Transitions Closet (LTC,) a donation-based campus resource offering free, gender-affirming clothes to queer, trans and nonbinary students going through a transitory period.

Credit: Ryan Young/Cornell University

These periods might include times of gender identity exploration, weight changes, pregnancy or career stages that require certain types of clothing. The closet allows students to curate looks that align with their most authentic selves, without the financial burden and safety concerns that can come with conventional retail experiences.

“I've noticed how much mental energy goes to wondering how people are perceiving you, and feeling uncomfortable in your body,” said doctoral student Alex Nik Pasqualini, co-president of the LGBTQ+ graduate student organization QGrads. “So being able to wear things where I feel comfortable, and feel like I will be perceived the way I want to be, just frees up a lot of space for me to think about connecting with other people.”

Last year, Pasqualini and QGrads co-president Gundeep Singh collaborated with Zhang on a proposal to fund a resource for students with no extra funds for clothes. They applied to the Belonging at Cornell Grant Program, which supports projects that are inclusive of, or directly addressing, concerns of one or more communities historically underrepresented on Cornell’s campus.

In November 2022 the team, sponsored by the Trans Empowerment Program, was awarded $1,000 to purchase clothing racks, mirrors, storage bins and lighting. They set up a temporary closet in the basement of 626 Thurston Ave. before eventually moving the LTC to its permanent home in a sunny room on the third floor, within the LGBT Resource Center.

Donations are accepted from students and staff, and the closet contains both professional and casual attire. The room, lined with racks of clothing, bins of accessories and full-length mirrors, is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and not monitored – allowing anonymity to those donating, browsing or acquiring clothing.

While the LTC primarily serves LGBTQ+ students, it’s open to everyone, including socioeconomically disadvantaged students from any community who find it difficult to afford clothing during transitional periods. Suitable clothing is critical to the physical health, comfort and mental health of the wearer, according to Cortney Johnson, associate dean of students and director of the LGBT Resource Center, which is part of the Centers for Student Equity, Empowerment and Belonging.

“The Centers focus on work that promotes equity, empowerment and belonging – this closet is a manifestation of all those ideals,” Johnson said. “The LTC is free and accessible to students and it’s full of clothing that hopefully helps someone feel more comfortable or more like themselves, located in a space that is open and affirming.”

Through the promotional efforts of QGrads, the LTC space has seen graduate student traffic – but Singh hopes to make more undergraduates aware of the resource. The closet is fully stocked and he encouraged all students to attend its open house on Oct. 13.

“I would love this project to be a more self-sustaining thing where there is a whole community and a set of volunteers who wants to make this available,” said Singh, a doctoral student in biophysics. “And I just want people to know that this exists for folks to utilize.”

Morgan Irons, a doctoral student in soil and crop sciences, first used the closet to source items for drag performances – but then began wearing the clothes in her everyday life.

“I thought, I want to wear this out somewhere in real life, because I just felt so good in it and so confident,” said Irons, who came out publicly as asexual and nonbinary in 2019.

Before graduate school, Irons said, she didn’t feel a sense of belonging within the queer community. Now she wears more masculine clothing and said support from Cornell’s queer community helped her find comfort and acceptance in herself.

“When I’m in the Life Transitions Closet in the resource center, I feel no judgments,” Irons said. “I feel like I don't have to hide anything. It’s a safe space for me and other people to explore and try new items of clothing on. It’s a space of exploration.”

Laura Gallup is a communications lead in Student and Campus Life.