Viewed as a safe space for expression and community, the Cal Poly Pride Center is a beacon of on-campus inclusivity for students and faculty.
After the center was limited to a closet-sized space for years, Cal Poly community members advocated for a newer, bigger, and more accessible location to house the center, counselor and Pride Center coordinator Angel Garcia Badillo told New Times.
“The center was able to be moved into a natural, physical space that was larger than a closet, and that space opened last year in April,” she said. “So my team and I were really able to create a vision for what we wanted the Pride Center to look like, and we wanted it to be an equitable space for all.”
Comfort is the center’s main goal, Garcia Badillo said, so it features special windows that allow those inside to look out but doesn’t allow passersby to see in. This enables students who might be exploring their sexuality or who don’t feel ready to come out yet to gather privately without having to worry about the campus community watching them, Garcia Badillo said.
“When we were building the center and when we were thinking of imagery, we wanted a lot of imagery of leaders within the LGBTQI, two-spirited-plus community that are Black and brown,” she said. “So that way when students go into the center that are queer and [people of color, they] see themselves in that center.”
As soon as a student walks into room 217 in the Student Center, they’re greeted by two assistants sitting behind a front desk to help answer questions. The walls are covered in artwork, and rainbow flags are abundant. Garcia Badillo said there’s a computer space, a mini library filled with LGBTQ-plus books, and a sleeping area designed for students who want a bit of peace and quiet from their busy days.
She noted that the organization’s page on Cal Poly’s website and the links attached to it are old and don’t work, so the best way to get in touch with the center is to show up in person.
“We’re kind of waiting because as a whole, the platform they use for websites is updating, and our department [Gender and Sexuality] hasn’t updated our websites because we know the switch is coming,” she said. “So I think it’s happening within the next year, so we are planning as a department to actually address all our websites and links within the next two years.”
With the center finishing up perfecting the new physical space, Garcia Badillo said it’s already started hosting events. In March, for instance, the Pride Center held its ballroom event.
Ballroom was created in the ’70s in New York for trans, queer, Black, and brown people, she explained, to be a space where participants compete within different categories—such as runway, butch queen, house mother, father, or parent. Winners within those categories compete for a trophy, and the competition is followed by a celebration.
“It was my dream to bring ballroom culture into Cal Poly, so that way students who are a minority within a minority—like students who are queer, trans, Black, and brown—feel like they can create a space,” Garcia Badillo said.
Every year in June, the center has its commencement ceremony, and while everyone is welcome, Garcia Badillo said it’s important to not take photos in order to honor everyone’s privacy.
“It’s such a special moment because students have worked so hard to finish their higher educational career, so the Lavender Commencement is a great opportunity where the committee can really celebrate them for not only finishing their educational program but also just being proud and building community within the LGBTQI spectrum,” she said.
“This year will be our 17th annual Lavender Commencement, so that means we’ve had it for 17 years—and this year I had 99 students who signed up for Lavender Commencement, and that’s a huge number for Cal Poly.” Δ
Reach Staff Writer Samantha Herrera at sherrera@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Pride 2024.