By Edgar Trancozo
Fourth-year graphic design major with a minor in marketing | Pronouns: He/him | Orientation: Gay
What is a misconception about the LGBTQ+ community? “Pronouns, people don’t understand the meaning to it. The sense of the individual feeling like they don’t belong in a certain category.”
What is something surprising about you? “I’m just very witty, I try to make associations with other topics and get giggles from some people.”
Olivia Wildman
Fourth-year animation major | Pronouns: She/her | Orientation: Lesbian
What is a misconception about the LGBTQ+ community? “Everyone equates being out and being open with suffering every single second. You do definitely face a lot of backlash. I feel like a lot of transgender nonconforming people hear ‘you have to feel dysphoric and super out of place.’”
What is something surprising about you? “I think most people see that I’m very visibly queer. [The] city that I grew up in [was] a super rural area, [and] we went hiking, camping, chopping wood, we were very backwoods, very hillbilly.”
Gabriela Muca
Third-year political science major | Pronouns: She/her | Orientation: Bisexual
What is a misconception about the LGBTQ+ community? “There’s a lot of stereotypes with a lot of sexualities. People think that someone is gay or bi or trans based on characteristics of a person. A lot of people can be a lot of different things. The notion of a ‘gaydar’ I find is a huge misconception.”
What is something surprising about you? “I love conventions, I cosplay, I’m broke right now, but when I get some money I love to cosplay…everybody at conventions…[are] from all different walks of life, but they are all nerds. There is a sense of community.”
Federico Yñiguez
Third-year graphic design major | Pronouns: He/him | Orientation: Gay
What is a misconception about the LGBTQ+ community? “Straight men believe that gay men are attracted to them, but they’re not. People think that the gay community is hyper-sexualized about sex all about drugs. Those are all misconceptions, it’s a wide spectrum of people…there is a perception that its alternative to the norm.”
What is something surprising about you? “I think something surprising about me is that I like going to the gym because I’m skinny, you know? I’m a twink.”
Brittany Ransom
Head of CSULB’s sculpture program | Pronouns: She/her | Orientation: Lesbian
What is a misconception about the LGBTQ+ community? “There is a common misconception that we lead some sort of secret, strange life. I think that most of us are living pretty regular lives…there is a misconception about what family looks like. I think that it’s a misconception that we are out partying all the time, but I found this to be one of the more family-oriented communities and aspects of my life.”
What is something surprising about you? “I still play basketball…I have a slam dunk sticker on the outside of my door. I still play even though I’m not as good as I used to be.”
