oCTOBER 10 - OCtober 16, 2019
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SGV LGBTQ Center VP Shares Personal Story of Coming Out alex CORDERO corderoalex82@yahoo.com
T
he San Gabriel Valley celebrates Pride in October to bring awareness to National Coming Out Day which is commemorated on Oct. 11. The vice president of the San Gabriel Valley LGBTQ Center, Dylan Lizarraga, shared their coming out story with us and was transparent about what it means to come out. When I asked Lizarraga why it was important for them to come out, they answered, “I think it felt that it wasn’t important for me [to come out]. It was more important for everybody else, and so that made it important to me.” A day prior to our meeting, Lizarraga had been part of a training for cultural competency in which they was responsible for including the LGBTQ aspect in the San Gabriel Valley area. One of the topics up for discussion during this
training was the idea of privilege. “Not having to come out is a privilege and also the idea that we only come out once is a constant conversation.” They continued, “You come out to yourself and then when you realize who you are. Because for the most part you’ve been likely taught, like I was taught: ok, you’re assumed to be straight, you’re assumed to be cisgender, and then you’re assumed to be what you are and work from there.” Lizarraga went on to describe that based on their experience it felt like it was more meaningful for other people for them to state their gender or sexuality than it was for them personally, but eventually it begins to feel important to them too: “I realized my identity is different and now I have to share this [identity] with people, because they’re assuming the wrong things about me.” They shared how the way they identify their gender identity has
Local resident Dylan Lizarraga,
vice
president of the San Gabriel Valley LGBTQ Center
shares
their
coming
out
story
and the
underscores importance
of
recognizing National Coming Out Day in our community. – Photo by Alex Cordero / Beacon Media News
changed from when they first came out to present day. “When I first came out, it was just as a gay male and that was my understanding of it. But as I am currently now, I realized non-binary is a more accurate understanding of my own gender and identity.” According to the Human Rights Campaign glossary terms, non-binary is defined as “an adjec-
tive describing a person who does not identify exclusively as a man or a woman.” Lizarraga remembers first coming out to themself at age 11, and then coming out to a close friend for the first time at 13 during their last year of middle school. “She’s the first person I came out to, and I didn’t realize at the time, but I realized afterwards how conservative she was and how not ok
she was with that [coming out] as I thought she would be. And that was a little bit of a blow—but it was, at least at the time, having to come out to somebody—I felt more comfortable with the people that I know now and have become friends with and with my own class mates.” We transitioned to discuss the question: Is coming out a one way conversation? “No, it is a constant conversation. Because it is about everyone else and is not about you anymore.” Lizarraga answered, and we began to discuss the concept of how common it is for people to feel pressured to come out or get pressured into it. Lizarraga does not feel as pressured to come out anymore as they did when younger. They recall only two people asking them in private about their sexual orientation and then later expressing their sexual identity as part of casual conversation as they got older amongst friends. “My idea is for other
people not to be pressured into it. [Coming out] is not going to be quick. It’s going to be a very long process—probably last longer than my lifetime, unfortunately—to have people not have to come out, or that they get to realize it [gender identity/ sexuality] and it’s not as big of a process. I want it to feel like the same conversation you have with your parents at one time when you bring home a boyfriend or a girlfriend: just as uncomfortable but there is no stress and there is no real danger.” Lizarraga continued to express how they hope having coming out conversations come from the same level of interest as when introducing someone you are dating to your parents.
judgement, the employee has been placed on administrative leave and is not currently on any district site. “Although this is a personnel issue involving employee confidentiality and we are limited as to what we can discuss because of privacy laws and district policies, rest assured that the District is actively evaluating the matter and will act
appropriately. We are deeply concerned about the issues and conversations surrounding this civil case. Our highest priority is the safety and well-being of our students. Only as of Wednesday morning was Bill Coleman’s photo and phone number was removed from the Sierra Madre Middle School’s website.
Read More at, PasadenaIndependent.com under Feature
Administrative Leave Continued From Page 1
awarded the plaintiff damages for past, present, and future emotional distress.” As of Tuesday, PUSD still had Coleman listed on the PUSD employee roster, albeit now at Sierra Madre Middle School, even though “the school security officer had a reputation for facilitat-
ing inappropriate conduct by students,” according to the complaint. And yet it took nearly four years for the district to discipline the security officer. Meanwhile, Superintendent Brian McDonald, who has now returned from medical leave, sent a letter to the community to address the reports of the civil case
concerning one of PUSD’s employees. The letter read: “Regarding an incident that occurred in early 2015, a District security guard employee was accused of negligent supervision that allowed two high school students to be unsupervised on a school campus. This resulted in the two students engaging in consensual inappropriate conduct on campus which
resulted in a civil case being filed against the District by the parent of one of the students. The matter was adjudicated and a judgment was made against the District. “Back in 2015, appropriate discipline was taken against the District security guard based upon the information the District had at the time. However, in light of the recent
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