May 29, 2025
Empowering student voices from marginalized communities
Lucas Shumaker is cultivating equity and inclusion for racialized and 2SLGBQTIA+ students at Waterloo and beyond
Lucas Shumaker (He/They) understands the importance of community and dialogue in driving action and change. Growing up Mennonite in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Shumaker witnessed various environmental and social justice issues, sparking their pursuit in community aid work.
From organizing a Youth Climate Strike and protesting the Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline to participating in school walkouts for gun control and starting their high school’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance, Shumaker champions the creation of safer and more equitable spaces for all.
“The work I do comes out of necessity,” says Shumaker, a third-year student at the University of Waterloo. “There are a lot of institutional barriers and issues; I can’t avoid taking action. If I don’t do anything, nothing will change. There is no other option.”
"Remembering Ashton Clatterbuck — my mentor and close friend from high school. We worked on many projects together, including this one with the Lancaster Against Pipelines. His guidance and friendship throughout high school will always be cherished,” Shumaker says.
Shumaker takes pride in his community aid work as a full-time international student in the Environmental Engineering program, balancing between his studies, supporting the trans and queer community and working as a research assistant for the WAMPUM Lab — an Indigenous research lab at Waterloo.
He believes that when individuals unite as a community and create space for diverse voices, they can combine resources, skills and knowledge to address issues more effectively, enhancing impact and creating meaningful change.
Cultivating inclusive communities on campus
Shumaker first joined UW EngiQueers — the Waterloo chapter of EngiQueers Canada — as a first-year student seeking community on campus. Now, they serve as the vice-president of Events for UW EngiQueers, organizing social events open to all faculties and providing a safe space for 2SLGBTQIA+ students.
“It is much easier to work in community than it is to work alone,” Shumaker says. “I would recommend finding people with similar ideas, passions or beliefs in the work you want to do and then work together to build community spaces.”
Their goal is to make EngiQueers as welcoming as possible, ensuring everyone feels safe to join anytime. Often, visiting students from other schools would join their meetings, enriching the community experience.
Waterloo students, Shumaker and Arden Song, presenting EngiQueers at the OK2BeMe conference to a group of high school students.
In the winter term of 2025, the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism (EDI-R) launched their EDI-R Student Ambassador program, welcoming the first cohort of ambassadors to observe campus life, identify concerns and facilitate discussions with staff to drive positive changes for racialized and 2SLGBTQIA+ students.
Shumaker’s role as an EDI-R Student Ambassador began after participating in a knowledge-sharing session for trans and queer students. Recognizing the institutional barriers faced by marginalized communities, he applied for the ambassador role to help address these issues.
“The program is a good first step. It’s important to hear from students, and that’s what much of the program is about: hearing what students’ experiences are,” Shumaker says.
Shumaker’s leadership role in EngiQueers and the EDI-R Student Ambassador program reflects his belief in building supportive communities by amplifying diverse voices and offering a safe space for queer and trans individuals. It also helps ease students as they face daily stressors during a pivotal chapter in their lives.
Developing resources for Transgender individuals globally
Shumaker, a young white trans man, witnessed firsthand the gap in gender-affirming care and trans health-care data, driving him to co-create HRTimelines. Shumaker and his co-founder developed HRTimelines to research the effects of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) in transgender individuals and address the lack of research in gender-affirming care.
Their surveys in 2022 and 2024 collect self-reported data from trans individuals worldwide, forming the basis of their online database. The goal for this research is to provide trans people and medical professionals serving the trans community with more accurate information on HRT effects and timelines, considering factors like age, ethnicity and medication type.
“As far as we know, we have the largest database of trans health care in the world. But it’s not that large because there is limited to no research in trans health care,” Shumaker says.
He acknowledges that the limited research on trans and queer health care available today is due to the loss of valuable studies caused by the burning of books from the Institute for Sexual Science in Berlin during the Nazi occupation. Shumaker encourages those interested in learning more about the pioneering Institute for Sexual Research, established in 1919, to read the National Public Radio interview with medical historian, Brandy Schillace.
HRTimelines has gained attention and partnerships, including with Dr. Delena Thompson, a physician in Kitchener-Waterloo and a professor at McMaster University, to develop academic research and raise awareness of critical issues in gender-affirming care.
In 2024, Shumaker received the Bateman-Minello Award for their positive contribution to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and the Abundance Canada’s Spirit of Generosity Award for their advocacy in transgender health care and environmental justice, donating $500 to the AIDS Committee of Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo and Area.
Their leadership on and off campus has become a vital resource for trans and queer students navigating their identities and finding their place at Waterloo. Shumaker’s relentless dedication not only amplifies voices but also serves as an inspiring influence for future generations of students to persevere in the pursuit of equity and inclusion.
