By Rachel Hanna
The smell of jambalaya and pizza took over the room as a group of students and faculty hurried in University Student Union room 205 for a night full of sharing their authentic stories.
Attendees gathered Tuesday night to celebrate queer voices in the Black community for Associated Students Inc.’s #BlackQueerStories event.
This intimate event at Long Beach State was meant to highlight Black LGBTQ+ figures in the community, some long passed and some still prominent in order to encourage a healthy community for students on campus. The comfortable and supportive space allowed students to have conversations they might not have anywhere else.
“The goal for tonight is to have students be the authors of their stories and be their authentic selves,” said Giovanni Smith, staff member in University Outreach and School Relations. “The goal is to get students to see there have been people before that have paved the way.”
Linda Shaw, LGBTQ+ Cultural Resource Center student assistant, showed eight icons in a PowerPoint presentation to show those who attended the event that many in the past and still today have overcome obstacles.
“James Baldwin showed that we as people, even with our body shapes, can do ballet,” said Angela Williams, staff member in the Multicultural Center during a group discussion. “I grew up in an area where I was segregated and couldn’t do ballet.”
Smith and Shaw said the goals of the night were to have students practice active listening, provide a judgement free zone, show compassion, think critically to respect their fellow peers and have empathy for one another.
A night filled with open discussions, diving deep into personal stories and feelings brought the evening much emotion. Students and faculty chose a quote on one of the walls that resonated with them most. As conversations began to flow and people shared, the support and respect grew within the group.
The LGBTQ+ community has proudly taken back derogatory terms that people so carelessly throw around. Phrases such as “that’s so gay” or “queer” used to be words others used to oppress people in the LGBTQ+ community.
“Queer was a word to offend,” said Christian Lozano Cuellar, assistant director in the Office of Multicultural Affairs, Student Cultural Resource Centers and Division of Student Affairs during a group discussion. “But over time we have taken that word back and added empowerment to it.”
Maria Vasquez, a sophomore majoring in pre-production, shared a critical time in her life when she was told it is okay to be your true self during a group discussion.
“I grew up Catholic, so it was really hard because in the church it’s male or female,” Vasquez said. “We would usually go on retreats and a friend said, ‘It’s okay to be gay and it’s okay to be who you are.’ Our mentor, too, said, ‘It’s okay to be who you are’ and this really helped me.”
According to many of the LGBTQ+ students and faculty at the event, there is a degree of freedom at LBSU as it celebrates itself and acknowledges that all communities have their own battles and struggles.
“I love my school. The safety and the community,” said Ky Turk, a senior majoring in family life education. “When I go back home on the weekends, I have my school to go back to the next week.”
There are many groups on campus for the LGBTQ+ community to find their voice, comfort and express themselves including gay fraternity Delta Lambda Phi, Queers and Allies, Rainbow Cafe, Trans Empowerment Group and the LGBTQ+ Resource Center.
Attendees said they felt connected, engaged, relaxed and inspired leaving the event.
“One of my goals would be to inform LGBTQ+ African-Americans contributions to Black history and history in general and to inspire these people who came to the event,” Shaw said. “I got your faces. You were here. You were engaged. I’m happy you were here.”
