Otter Cross Cultural Center affirms support for LGBTQ+ community

CSUMB’s “Strength Through Diversity” awareness campaign aims to build on our ongoing commitment to inclusive excellence. Stories, social media posts, and special events throughout the academic year will celebrate diversity and highlight the many identity groups represented by the students, faculty, staff, and alumni that make up the CSUMB community. June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month.

CSUMB’s Otter Cross Cultural Center or OC3 issued the following statement in celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride Month:

“California State University, Monterey Bay celebrates the power, resilience, and joy of LGBTQ+ students, staff, faculty, administration, and surrounding communities. As we celebrate Pride Month, we recognize the importance of understanding the role that multiple systems of oppression play to access and power. 

“We invite a reflection on the origins of Pride and commemorate the critical contributions of Black and non-Black transgender womxn of color in advancing the fight for equality. It is because of the activism of individuals such as Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera in response to systemic violence and policing that Pride Month exists for us to celebrate. We thank them and other activists for their labor of love. 

“We also want to recognize that uplifting and honoring the LGBTQ+ community extends beyond Pride Month. We must continuously center the voices, experiences, and successes of the LGBTQ+ both within the CSUMB and the broader community. We value the brilliance of LGBTQ+ communities and continue the journey and fight forward."

OC3 partners with campus and community members to serve as an advocate for social justice by building bridges across communities, identities, and intolerance. The center sponsors events and provides support and resources for the LGBTQ+ community all year round. 

This includes the CSUMB Rainbow Grad Ceremony, one of eight Affinity Graduation Celebrations held each spring to honor the accomplishments and experiences of graduates from historically underrepresented communities. Resources available can be found at CSUMB LGBTQ+ Resource Guide and LGBTQ+ Books at OC3 Library.