MSU human labor and human relations sophomore and president of The Alliance Misa Kelanthara said their club is one of the oldest queer clubs on campus and in the country with a 50-plus-year history. 

“Clubs like this have helped me realize that there is a community here” said Tyrell Harris, a member of The Alliance and music performance major as an incoming junior at MSU. "It helps me feel like I’m not totally alone.”

Public relations coordinator for the group Brianna Dolan said their club works heavily with the Associated Students of Michigan State University and the student government at Michigan State to ensure their community is represented on any legislation that gets passed or bills they can vote on.

The Alliance is the only queer RSO that has a representative seat in ASMSU’s general assembly, Kelanthara said.

“We want to collaborate more with smaller clubs, especially on the side of funding because that can be a big issue for these smaller clubs,” Kelanthara said. ”They don’t directly get funding from (Student Life Engagement) and we do, so we would love to help them. Our goal is to sort of act on the sideline but support the community in that way.”

Kelanthara has some goals set for the club in the next few years, including the establishment of workshops focusing on how to be a better ally for queer peers and emphasizing that their club is for queer and ally students. The Alliance is hoping to increase its membership in order to host big events and is aiming to be more present in the community to allow students to feel safe in their own identity.

“I’ve always been kind of interested in finding more ways to kind of connect with the queer community on campus. I feel like it’s a bit sparse and kind of hard to connect to,” Harris said. “Alliance was one avenue I tried to feel that connection a bit more.”

Throughout the year, The Alliance holds movie nights for members and anyone interested in the club, where they provide food and beverage. It’s a safe and welcoming environment, Harris said, and he’s thankful a space like that exists.

“When looking for clubs like this, people might be scared and don’t want to put themselves out in public like that,” Harris said. “There’s no pressure, pretty much all of us have felt that anxiety at one point in time, just realize that spaces like these serve to help you.”