You’ll likely hear senior Jacob Tobia before seeing him. The feminine click of high heels precedes the unexpected sight of a tall, often brightly clad man with a toothy grin and a burst of curly hair.
Tobia gender-bends like it’s his job. He’s a vocal LGBT activist on Duke’s campus, as well as the recipient of the prestigious Benjamin N. Duke Scholarship and the Harry S. Truman Scholarship.
“I like to think of myself as a mix between Nelson Mandela and a glittery unicorn,” Tobia said. “Something modest too, like a slug. That’s my idealized self.”
At Duke, the unconventional Tobia has done some unconventional things: he created his own Program II major in human rights advocacy, travelled to South Africa on the University’s dime multiple times and led a campus-wide campaign against North Carolina’s constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
It took some time, though, before Tobia was able to transform Duke into his own personal runway.
“A big difference is that senior Jacob Tobia is less timid,” he said. “I used to be a lot more reserved about being who I was, and that is certainly not the case anymore.”
He cites the support he received from Duke’s queer community, including the Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Life and Blue Devils United, as one of the reasons he is able to be so unabashed about who he is.
He is quick to note, though, that the high heels hurt, but wearing them is always worth it.
“I’m more than happy to share tips on how to be more gender queer and fabulous,” Tobia said. “I hope that there will be more people to join me in being outside the box. Y’all, that box is boring.”
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