Lavender reaches toward the sky. Carnations and pansies wave slightly in the breeze. Roses swell with the sun.
Diversity blooms within The Queer Bed, a floral testament to beauty, love, and empowerment within the queer community.
Created at the , the garden not only provides a safe, loving space for all queer people, but also is a space to reflect on beauty within nature, and what it means for a plant or person to be natural.
“It’s an announcement that we are out here,” said Ebbie Burk, a fourth year sustainable agriculture and food systems undergraduate. “It’s an explicit place to come be yourself.”
Originally created as a designated, physical space for queer farmers and gardeners, the garden has been handed down through the years since its creation in 2017 by Pine Wilder. Burk now takes pride in stewarding the bed.
The flowers grown within the garden are either medicinal plants or pay tribute to a specific aspect of the queer community and its history.
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Some flowers, like pansies, are testaments to reclaiming pride. The term “pansy” has been used as a derogatory slur, particularly for gay or effeminate men.
Planted at The Queer Bed, pansies are now an empowering symbol and a positive term within the queer community.
Its planting is also an ode to “The Pansy Craze” in the 1920s though 1933. This was a decade of new and increased visibility within the queer community through drag performances.
“The public opinion of queer people was negative, but their parties and talent and shows were coveted,” said Burk. “That binary is really interesting.”
Some flowers break the binary.
“What does it mean for a plant or person to be natural?” asked Burk.
Roses have represented love and sexuality for centuries, f