Cal State Fullerton's LGBTQ+ Community Demands More Space and Resources on Campus

[TexasTowelie]

Cal State Fullerton's Queer People of Color and Student's for Quality Education staged a sit-in at CSUF's Associated Student's Inc. Board of Directors meeting yesterday demanding increased resources and space for the LGBTQ+ Resource Center on campus. Last year, ASI Board of Directors passed "A Resolution In Support of LGBTQ Student Life at the Cal State University, Fullerton" that set forth a list of policies to implement on campus in order to aid the LGBTQ+ student body. Despite its passing, QPOC & SQE feel that the campus hasn't acted fast enough to implement the items in the resolution leading to the planned sit-in.

The current LGBTQ+ center on campus is a room about 10' x 10', which members of QPOC & SQE describe as a "closet", with the space currently unable to house all the 20-plus people who utilize the space, let alone its five employees. The students feel that the the current renovation of 56 gender neutral single-stall restrooms still doesn't meet their needs, and that they would like to see the conversion of multi-stall restrooms. They also want to see more resources provided through their center, as the number of students who utilize this center continues to grow. Finally, the students say that events on campus are not inclusive to the community, and LGBTQ+ students are treated as "an afterthought."

The demonstrators from QPOC & SQE filed into the board meeting room around 1p.m., and stood waiting until the floor opened for public comment. Joaquin Caro, a ASI board member & QPOC member, began the sit-in with a speech to the board. While delivering his speech about the reasons the community came to the meeting, Caro fought back tears as he delivered the following excerpt.

Why are students in the center then? We are family. All of us consider that tiny little space home because it is the one place in our lives where we can be our true authentic selves. Be queer. Just be. What makes our resource center home is the students who frequent the center. We want our family to grow.

Caro ended the speech demanding for more resources for the LGBTQ+ community on campus, and the declaration that "today we will occupy this space to show how important this is for our community."

Read more: http://www.ocweekly.com/news/cal-state-fullertons-lgbtq-community-demands-more-space-and-resources-on-campus-7965788