KC Potter (JD ’64), namesake of the KC Potter Center for LGBTQI Life, passed away today at the age of 85. After his time as a student at Vanderbilt University, his roles included that of Dean of Housing and Legal Affairs at the university.
As dean, Potter advocated for marginalized voices on campus. In 1987, when he read a letter to the editor in The Hustler criticizing a homophobic article, he decided to meet with the students who wrote the article and began advocating for LGBTQ+ students at Vanderbilt.
The following semester, Potter founded a support group for “gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and friends” that was open to students, faculty, and staff. The group met weekly at Potter’s house and quickly evolved into what is now the Vanderbilt Lambda Association.
Advertisement for the Vanderbilt Lambda Association in a 1987 issue of The Vanderbilt Hustler, screenshot from the Vanderbilt Hustler Archives, August 28, 2024 (Hustler Staff/Jacob Stoebner)
In a December 1987 article in The Hustler about the new Vanderbilt Lambda Association, Potter discussed Vanderbilt’s “traditionally conservative environment” and how this led to a sense of isolation in the LGBTQ+ community, which he hoped to remedy with Lambda.
“There is a need to be able to sit down together in a supportive situation and social environment,” Potter said in the article. “There is a great need for support and friendship on this campus.”
In an interview as part of the Vanderbilt Luminaries Series last November, Potter said Vanderbilt has always been viewed as “more modern” than a typical Southern school.
“They’ve come at least as far as I can imagine in terms of treating people with respect and dignity, no matter what color they are or whatever,” Potter said. “You can’t judge by artificial standards. I don’t know what’s in store for them, but I’m proud to have been a part of everything we’ve accomplished.”
