On Aug. 29, the Pride Center hosted its first social of the semester: an ice cream social to welcome students to campus for the Fall 2024 semester and to bring new students to the Pride Center.
Ice cream was passed out to all students who signed in and took the time to learn about the center’s community agreements, which entailed being true to oneself, respecting others and their pronouns.
The center offered an array of ice cream, from popsicles to drumsticks, paletas, ice cream bars, strawberry shortcake pops and even non-dairy options. Though hot, students enjoyed their ice cream in the summer sun, socializing with one another and learning about the center.
The Pride Center is a space for the LGBTQ+ community of Mt. SAC to access resources such as study spaces, printers, computers, microwaves and refrigerators and to be part of a community. Stated on their website, the mission of the center is, “To foster an affirming environment for people across the gender and sexuality identity spectrums where the LGBTQ+ community can come together to learn about and celebrate ourselves, our communities, and our intersectionalities, and to find support and resources to be the best version of ourselves (in our academic, social, professional, and internal lives).”
The center provides housing, mental and academic counseling, transportation, menstrual and sexual health services, campus safety, and financial advising. These resources can be found on the Pride Center website or its bulletin board.
The Pride Center has many events planned for this semester. Recently, they hosted their first Rainbow Rack, where people can donate or pick up free gender-affirming clothing On Friday, Sept. 19th, they are hosting a drag queen bingo with Roxy Wood, and there are many more events to come.
When speaking to Kevin Truong, the Pride Center’s special project manager, he talked about the importance of hosting these social events for the center. “We connect, and that’s how we build community. It’s through learning, it’s through having these events… as long as it builds community and ensures everyone is invited and included. No section of the student population is excluded,” Truong said.
In speaking about the intentions of the Pride Center and their goals on campus Truong added, “Our center is a loving community. We treat others with respect. It’s a safe space to hang out, get to know people and talk about what they want in the space.”
A student assistant who works in the Pride Center shared their thoughts on the center’s events and the impact they feel it provides to the camaraderie of campus life.
“Our goal is building that sense of community and understanding and learning from one another, especially if you know an ally who wants to know more about the community… we hope that people feel comfortable and taken care of.”
When both asked what their favorite ice cream was, the student assistant said “ Mint Chip.” As for Truong, “ Black Cherry Ice Cream.”
Truong finished the interview by stating this semester’s goal for the Pride Center: “ For the Pride Center, our goal is to make more of an impact on campus, to have more events and to have more attendance at events so folks can know what the center offers.”
The Pride Center can be found located on the first floor of building 26A.