Students and staff color at a booth during the National Coming Out Day Festival on Oct. 21 at the Cypress College Breezeway. (Photo by Anayeli Patino-Liera)
Story by: Anayeli Patino-Liera, Staff Writer
Cypress College Pride hosted the National Coming Out Day Festival on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at the Cypress College Breezeway. The festival was a resource fair with performances, arts and music and was to celebrate the beauty of queer identities, allow students to connect with campus and community resources, participate in many activities and to celebrate being openly LGBTQ+ on campus.
During the festival, students were able to visit a variety of booths, including The Frida Cinema and the Transfer Center.
There was a board with phrases where students wrote how the college was supporting them.
The booths provided community information and help on voting.
The library had a booth with a selection of LGBTQ+ books students could check out.
Student Reyna Lopez also enjoyed the festival. “I like that there is music and I like that there are different sections. There’s food and people are friendly,” Lopez said.
The festival served everyone nachos, cotton candy and popcorn. To be able to get this food, students needed to engage with three resources for three tickets. Performances were held during the festival, and students could also sign up for free gender-affirming haircuts.
When asked about their favorite thing about the festival, student Brooke Treflin said, “I like the performances just because it gives queer students a chance to express themselves and share their artistic sides with the campus.”
For more information or resources, students can visit the Pride Center, located at HUM-101, or contact campus LGBTQ+ Liaison Jenelle Herman at jherman@cypresscollege.edu.
