When outgoing Queen’s EngiQueers president Sophia Thurston (she/they/he, fifth-year computer engineering) started their first year at Smith School of Engineering, advocacy for queer engineering students was almost non-existent. COVID lockdowns had only recently ended, and the last iteration of Queen’s EngiQueers had fizzled due to group members graduating and pandemic-era restrictions.
Fast forward a few years: Sophia was serving on the Engineering Society’s executive committee, with a special focus on their club portfolio. After experiencing some anti-queer sentiments on campus, Sophia felt that queer engineering students deserved representation and worked to revive the Queen’s chapter of EngiQueers. “Being queer myself, it was of particular interest to me,” says Sophia. “After my term at EngSoc was over, I found myself with a lot more time, so I decided to dedicate that to EngiQueers.”
To build up numbers and community, the Queen’s chapter focused on social events — study groups and movie nights — with an “everyone is welcome” mandate. More recently, however, the team has started to expand its focus to include more than just a safe space to come together.
“We’ve started pivoting a little more towards the direction of EngiQueers Canada, which is advocacy,” says Sophia. Working with faculty members, the club began to build up its capacity, like other advocacy groups within EngSoc such as WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) and NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers). Both groups have faculty contacts to help with visibility — something Sophia hopes to achieve more of with EngiQueers.
After serving as co-president her first year, then the sole president last year, Sophia is handing the reins over to the newly elected president, Xan Giuliani, a third-year mechatronics and robotics student.
Xan started attending the club’s social events in fall 2025. “As a queer engineering student, I thought it sounded like an interesting organisation, so I started showing up. I really loved the environment the club presented; it’s nice to have another positive space on campus, especially in engineering.”
Each year, Queen’s EngiQueers provides funds for some of its members to travel to the national EngiQueers conference, which brings together delegates from engineering faculties across the country. Xan travelled to this year’s conference, held this past January in Vancouver.
“It was a really awesome experience, with seminars talking about the importance of [queer] advocacy within engineering,” says Xan. “I was so inspired by the conference, I decided to try to run for the presidency of Queen’s EngiQueers so that I could participate in the kind of work I learned about.”
Engineering students face a particular set of challenges in their first year: long-term projects with assigned groups. “I’ve heard a lot of people who’ve had negative experiences with that. If you’re a first year, it’s really hard to know what you can do. A lot of them just end up coasting and not being open about their queerness, which is not ideal.”
Xan hopes Queen’s EngiQueers can act as support to newer students and help them navigate issues like this. “A lot of people are exploring their identities for the first time when they come to university. Depending on their history, they might not have had the opportunity to be open. I’d like EngiQueers to be there for them.”
To stay up to date with Queen’s EngiQueers, follow them on Instagram at @queensengiqueers or email engiqueers@engsoc.queensu.ca.