We are mourning the extremely untimely passing of Mel Lesch: our dearly beloved student, tireless scholar, dedicated activist, all too appropriately described by their friends as “human sunshine.”
We would like to share some tributes and student comments about Mel.
Tributes:
"Mel was a dedicated activist who worked tirelessly on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community. Among their accomplishments are helping to found UK's LGBTQ+ Center and the Audre Lorde Living Learning Community. Mel's dissertation work combined scholarship and praxis, seeking a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by trans college students in order to find better ways to support them. Mel was also a dedicated teacher and an exceptional and kind human." – Jenn Hunt
"I have been privileged to work and learn from Mel for over 15 years as