Story by Clarissa Dean
Photos by Carlee Hite and Izzy Young
Friends of Ruby is a subgroup within the Queer Student Union. The head of the group, senior Raelynn Sells from Russellville, Kentucky, said it was created in honor of Ruby Miller, the gender alliance head, who passed away last semester. Sells said the group acts as a safe place for questioning, transgender and queer people of color.
Senior Chloe Drugeot from Franklin, Tennessee, said via text that she first learned about the subgroup at Miller’s candle-lit tribute in November of 2025.
“I was so happy to hear, and it honestly brought me to tears when it was announced,” Drugeot said. “She deserves to be honored.”
Sells said that before the group, QSU had a transgender and nonbinary group, but it was dissolved due to low membership. She said that because Miller was the gender identity alliance group head, when she passed, they decided to merge the groups together.
“When Ruby passed away, it was a hard time for all of us,” Sells said. “We wanted to collab them together into something new, honoring her.”
Sells said the name “Friends of Ruby” was inspired by “Friends of Dorothy.” According to Dee Michel’s website, author of “Friends of Dorothy: Why Gay Boys and Gay Men Love The Wizard of Oz,” “Friends of Dorothy” is a historical slang term used within LGBTQ communities, especially among gay men, as a coded way to identify someone as gay without saying it directly.
According to Michel’s website, the phrase “Friends of Dorothy” functioned as a secret code known mainly within gay subculture. This allows people to discreetly identify each other when being openly gay could be dangerous or illegal.
Similar to “Friends of Dorothy,” Sells said FOR is a safe space. They said they hope the subgroup is educational, since most of their main meetings are more social.
“Most of my meetings are sort of a lecture style paired with an activity,” Sells said.
On Wednesday, March 11, Sells hosted a “Women of Color Art History” event. At the beginning of the event, Sells showed a lecture featuring different women of color artists, printmakers and sculptors.
One of these included sculptor Simone Leigh, a second-generation Jamaican-American from Chicago. According to the lecture, “Her work focuses on ‘Black female subjectivity’ and its intersection with history.”
When the lecture concluded, Sells showed art inspiration on a projector, and she and the attendees began painting and drawing.
“Black artists use pattern in their work,” Sells said. “So, that is what I am trying to create here.”
Junior Bea Blankenship from Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, one of the longest-standing QSU members, said that she has been a member since she was a freshman and enjoys attending events.
“I like hearing the history behind various topics,” Blankenship said. “As well as Raelynn is really good at just presenting the history.”
Blankenship said one of her favorite events to attend is canvas swap nights, where different canvases are swapped and all painted on by different people.
“One time I started one off with a Care Bear, and it ended up being a frog,” Blankenship said.
Regarding social events, on Wednesday, March 4, FOR hosted “Coming Out Monologues,” where, according to QSU’s Instagram, individuals had a chance to share their stories.
“Ruby really wanted to do the coming out monologue,” Sells said. “She was very into supporting the trans and gender questioning community.”
Drugeot said she met Miller through a mutual friend, and they connected through their love of music and art.
“She was incredibly talented in art, something we bonded over quickly,” Drugeot said. “Her work was beautiful, and I don’t think she even fully realized how gifted she was. It feels like just yesterday we were doing ceramics together, with her energy filling the room.”
Drugeot said she looked up to Miller in many ways. She said that just by being herself, Miller always made people feel “seen and safe.”
“It’s hard to describe Ruby with words because I’m scared they won’t measure up to how truly incredible she was,” Drugeot said. “I really hope she somehow knew how much she meant to the people around her.”