Brianna Carswell: Trans Leader

Brianna Chelsea Carswell is one of the faces behind one of Troy University’s biggest safe spaces for LGBTQ+ students. She was one of the leading voices in the committee for the city of Troy’s very first Pride festival and is an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights in Pike County and beyond as the president of Troy University’s Spectrum Alliance.

Carswell has been president of the Troy University Spectrum Alliance for going on three semesters now, one fewer than the maximum number of years an officer can be in any one position according to Carswell. As her third term as president comes into full force, Carswell makes notes for the next leader of the LGBTQ+ club.

In 2019 Carswell and the Spectrum Alliance worked alongside College Democrats to coordinate and run Trojan Pride, the first of its kind in Troy. While Carswell described this as her greatest accomplishment as an officer of Spectrum, she clarified that it is not the only one.

“Last semester we had a Coming Out Day on the square (the Troy University Bibb Graves quad),” Carswell said, talking about the different events hosted by Spectrum. “Basically, we handed out free contraceptives, we had music playing, and it was a nice, good old time.” 

Spectrum also runs a number of events throughout the year such as the showing of cult classic Rocky Horror Picture Show each year on Halloween and the annual Second Chance Prom each spring.

As leader of a group that promotes diversity, Carswell encourages the club to reach out in a variety of ways ranging from simple posters to advertising through friends and classmates. One of the biggest goals she strives for is to inform the public and expand the diversity within the group.

In preparation to pass the baton to her successor, Carswell said the biggest thing she can emphasize is not to take on too much at once, that “Delegation is key.” The other official positions are her biggest allies when it comes to managing the group.

Carswell also expressed her worry about a disheartening lack in university involvement in the club, which she seeks to bridge before the end of her term. As she put it, she would like to “cap it off on a good note and leave a foreground for things to continue with Spectrum.”

While Carswell builds her own bridges, she looks to rising leaders of any group or party with a note of promise and a word of advice. 

“You want people there to support you,” she said. “You want people there who will also maybe not agree with you, to challenge you, to let you see things in a different way.”

As a final word, she also explained what she felt was most important as a leader

“If you want to lead, you should do it because you’re passionate about it, and do it because you want it more than anything else.”