CSUMB professor says Pride Month carries important message

By Mark Muckenfuss

A Cal State Monterey Bay associate professor says this year’s Pride Month, in June, may carry greater weight than in the past. 

Shannon Snapp, who teaches psychology, has spent much of her professional career studying the LGBTQ+ teen population. Recent laws and policy changes, she said, put that population at greater risk. 

“The more oppressive the climate, the more important Pride becomes, and the more people have to share their expression and create that solidarity,” Snapp said. “I think Pride is an opportunity for expression, for resistance and for fun.”

Part of the fun is the annual Monterey Peninsula Pride parade and celebration on June 27. 

Snapp, who identifies as bisexual, said she and her preschool children have a tradition of participating in the San Francisco Pride celebration.

“For me, it’s an expression of joy and kind of reclaiming a little bit of freedom,” she said. “It’s an opportunity to show my kids that there is a diversity of people and I’m part of that diversity and so are they.” 

Snapp’s research has examined, in part, the effect of support programs for LGBTQ+ youth in schools. That includes such things as student affinity groups, counseling support and recognizing the community in the curriculum. For instance, she said, a history class might include LGBTQ+ figures among the notable people students are studying.

“The literature shows when you have these things in place, it improves all these outcomes for queer youth,” Snapp said. “They feel more connected, they feel more safe, they report less bullying, their academic performance goes up. A lot of that stuff also impacts straight youth in a positive way.”

She now sees the introduction of these elements as being endangered.

“They’re all starting to get rolled back,” she said. “Queer youth are not necessarily prone to mental health problems because of their identity. They are more at risk because of the ways they are treated in society. I think sometimes when we look at these populations, it’s easy to blame them for their own suffering.”

Those in higher education are being affected as well, Snapp said, referring to recent cuts in research funding and efforts to target diversity programs.

“I have friends who had [National Institutes of Health] grants who lost all their funding,” she said. “I have friends who have gotten death threats for doing their research on queer youth. I’ve seen other colleagues of mine in the South, where you're not even supposed to use someone’s preferred pronouns, get pushed out of their work or asked to change topics.”

She expects the community will actively resist some of these recent trends.

“I think people will push back and I have to think the voices of the dissidents will be louder and will be heard,” Snapp said. “How do we create a society where people feel safe and supported? It's certainly not by attacking them. It seems so simple to me. We know how to do it. People are just choosing not to.”

She said she takes some comfort in the perspective provided by those who have been active in the LGBTQ+ community for many years. 

“When everyone’s freaking out, they’re like, ‘We’ve been through this before. We’ve been through worse and we will get through this,’” she said. “I hope it's a bump in the road.”

Bump or not, she said, the road remains.

“It’s always been about, ‘We’re here, we’re queer, we’re not going to be silent,’” she said. “We’re not going to be erased.”

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A CSUMB contingent will take part in the Monterey Peninsula Pride event on June 27. A sign-up form is available for staff, faculty, MPPs, students, and alumni who are interested. Those who would like to bring guests to march with them who don't fall into any of those categories can sign up under the "community member" option. The group plans to table during the celebration following the parade to provide information and answer questions.