Centering Yourself

Written by: Cami Miceli and Cole Elliott | Photography by: Eulrika Wu | Layout by: Cami Miceli & Martha Cabot

Many UCLA students pass through Bruin Plaza on a daily basis as they make their way to class, but not all of them know about an amazing resource sitting just under their noses. The UCLA Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Campus Resource Center, or the LGBT CRC for short, is located in the Student Activites Center directly across from Ackerman. It is easy to find because it often has a giant rainbow pride flag right outside the door.

The LGBT CRC supports over twenty LGBTQ+ campus groups, including Queer Fandom Fanatics, Transgender UCLA Pride (TransUP), and the Queer Trans Black Indigenous People of Color (QTBIPOC) Space. Groups such as Queer Fandom Fanatics are led by the Center’s staff members, but other groups such as TransUP are completely student-run spaces. Even OutWrite hosts its weekly meeting and quarterly release parties at the Center!

“A lot of student organizations meet in the Center after hours,” agreed Kai Huang, one of the CRC’s Outreach Interns and an Executive Board Member for TransUP. “It’s a nice community space — very reliable — with a lot more flexibility for a social space than a classroom.”

Thanks to its popularity among UCA’s student organizations, the Center is a great place for LGBTQ+ students to learn more about other campus resources. Flyers inside can lead students toward groups that interest them, and annual events such as Cookies and Queers can help LGBTQ+ students meet one another.

“As a first year, my queer experience really got kicked off at the famous Cookies and Queers event, run by the CRC,” noted Megan Kirschner, the current Resident Assistant (RA) of the Gender, Sexuality, and Society Living Learning Community. “Not only was it a great welcome in Week Zero, when I’d just moved across the country and didn’t know what I was doing here but just being in the Resource Center, surrounded by so many clubs, was a big thing.”

Other students like Megan are able to use the Center as a hub to learn about and connect with various student-run organizations that cater to all sorts of interests. These groups come and go with the years as students graduate, but folks are encouraged to create their own organizations and clubs for interests they don’t already see represented.

“I love that UCLA is so student-driven,” said Andy Cofino, the current Director of the LGBT CRC. “What we do at the Center is really in response to what the students want.”

In fact, in keeping with student opinion, the Center conducted a survey last year about adding a Q for Queer to its name. The majority of students who participated wanted to see the letter added, so the Center is currently going through a formal approval process.

“We did consider that some people don’t like the word, but that won’t limit us [from expanding the name],” explained Cofino. “Our center is representative of the students that we serve, and many of them identify with the word queer.”

One of the Center’s main concerns is improving life for LGBTQ+ students. It does this not only by providing a safe space for students to hang out, but also by addressing some of the university’s large-scale systemic problems. For instance, a student-led effort supported by staff members such as Cofino recently succeeded in removing students’ legal names from the backs of their Bruin ID cards. (Students with a preferred name that differs from their legal name can exchange their current card for free until June 1st, 2020!)

Cofino continued, “Students are willing to share their stories to effect change, even though that isn’t always very easy. One student even attended a UC Regents meeting. That should result in even more positive changes for transgender and non-binary students.”

Despite all the amazing resources available in the Center, it’s completely normal for students to feel nervous entering the Center, especially for the first time. For those who are anxious about how to get started, Director Cofino suggests starting small and staying in your comfort zone. Look for programs that suit you, or topics that you’re interested in, whether that’s done in person or online. There are even two entrances to the Center for folks who don’t feel comfortable entering from Bruin Plaza, where the bright rainbow pride flag grabs people’s attention.

“Not everyone is going to find a home in the Center, and that’s fine,” assured Cofino. “We’re in L.A., and there’s a lot of LGBTQ+ stuff happening all around campus.”

True enough, LGBTQ+ folks can be found all across campus, in clubs and classes not specifically geared toward LGBTQ+ issues. Networking with fellow LGBTQ+ students in the Center and attending a couple of events is just one of many great ways to discover relevant organizations and meet new people.

“You know we’re everywhere, we’re all over campus,” enthused Yen Dinh, a thirdyear Gender Studies major and LGBTQ Studies minor. “It’s just a matter of how visible we want to be.”

Visiting the LGBT CRC isn’t always about a specific organization or discussion space. In fact, the Center is equipped with tables, couches, computers, and even a library where students can do their work, relax, and socialize as much or as little as they’d like.

“I don’t think a lot of students realize you can just come in here, bring your lunch, and sit on the couch,” admitted Cofino. “You don’t need to do anything; you just need to be. We welcome you at the Center. We also want every place on campus to be home to LGBTQ+ students.”

Additionally, the Center has various mental health resources, which can be useful for LGBTQ+ students who don’t see themselves reflected in most counsellors or who can’t afford sessions at CAPS (Counseling and Psychological Services). For example, Queer Peers is a student-led organization that offers a peerto-peer mentorship program and hosts its drop-in hours at the Center. The student volunteers who make the program possible aren’t confidential advisors like professional therapists, but they are great support for UCLA students.

Students have a lot to look forward to at the LGBT CRC with its current programming line-up. At the end of Winter Quarter, there will be a week-long series of programs focusing on racial justice to uplift LGBTQ+ folks of color. Then in the spring, there will be a drag show as well as Lavender Graduation. (Lavender Graduation is for anyone, regardless of their major, who discloses that they’re LGBTQ+ and wants to be formally recognized at graduation. The event is organized by the Center and sponsored by various departments.) There is also a movement in the Center to launch a new volunteer program centered around advocacy-related issues.

When asked about how the LGBT CRC figures into her job as an RA, Megan explained, “The Center has been a great place to direct people towards, especially freshmen who are unsure where to start.” Nonetheless, it can be difficult to know the best way to get involved with the LGBTQ+ community, even after visiting the Center.

In response to being asked what advice they would give to incoming queer students looking for this sense of community, Kai said, “Find places where you feel affirmed in your identity and where you feel like you can grow as a person. For me, that looked like joining a few queer students organizations, including TransUP, for that social space as well as volunteering at the Center for that community and professional development. But I know there are queer students who don’t directly get involved with queer student organizations or the Center, and that’s perfectly fine, so long as they’re feeling supported wherever they are on campus.”

As the LGBT CRC approaches its twenty-fifth year of serving the UCLA community, those of us in OutWrite encourage everyone to take a moment to acknowledge all the hard work and dedication people have put into this Center in order to make life a little kinder for LGBTQ+ folks. May everyone work together to serve the community even more in the years to come!