25th Anniversary
UCLA LGBTQ Campus Resource Center
Reclaiming our Pride, Reclaiming our Futures: 25 Years of the LGBTQ CRC
This year, our Center celebrates its first 25 years.
To prepare, our students dug deep into UCLA and our Center’s history to learn about the many alumni, staff and faculty who contributed not only to UCLA’s LGBTQ history, but that of LA, the nation, and the world. We have a lot of which to be proud and we are excited to celebrate the people and places that make our campus and our community excellent.
As we acknowledge this milestone, it is critical we continue to raise important questions about our future, so we can best engage and support the students of today.
We must continue to move in the direction of a liberatory future which supports our vision of a UCLA that is equitable and affirming of all identities, where people of all genders, sexual and romantic orientations and attractions feel celebrated, respected, and empowered. To support this effort, last year our professional and student staff re-articulated our values as the following: Accessibility, Community and Accountability, Education, Equity and Advocacy, Intersectionality, Social and Racial Justice, and Wellness.
These values call us into action. And in order to actualize them, we must be fearless. We must be unrelenting. We must be bold. We must center students’ many identities and lived experiences, including but not limited to their race, ethnicity, immigration status, ability, religion, and class.
We must acknowledge our presence on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples and the history of settler colonialism and violence which led to our being here.
We must unapologetically act in solidarity with the Movement for Black Lives.
We must hold steadfast in our support of undocumented and international students and scholars. We must amplify and center the experiences of Black, Indigenous, Queer and Trans People of Color (QTBIPOC) in our work towards greater social and racial justice.
We must ensure accessibility is uplifted in our pursuit of a community which honors all members, including those of us who are disabled and/or neurodivergent.
We must work towards greater equity and access for nonbinary, agender, and transgender community members.
We must foster spaces of joy, healing, and loving community while also interrupting and dismantling the dynamics of white supremacy, anti-Blackness, homo/bi/trans/phobia, and oppression built into the very fabric of our lives.
In order to actualize our vision, we must first believe in this liberatory future, and we must do so together.
We welcome you to join us in this journey, as over the next few months we announce our exciting plans for the upcoming 25th year. Follow us via this listerv, our website, Instagram, and Facebook (@uclalgbtq) as we make announcements about our programs and events.
We look forward to reclaiming our pride and moving towards our liberatory future with and for you.
In community,
Andy Cofino (he/they) & Liz Lopez (she/her/ella)
A Tour of Queer L.A.
The LGBTQ Campus Resource Center’s History Tour Project was researched and completed in honor of our 25th Anniversary by interns Arlene Reynolds and Mika Baumgardner, in collaboration with alumni and community members. Please find information about the tour conducted on January 22nd, 2020 here. The documents are made available to allow folks to self-conduct their own tours of the various sites. Find the Tour of Queer L.A. page here.
Celebrating our History: 25th Birthday Party
The presentation from the LGBTQ CRC's 25th Birthday Party can be seen below. In addition, an accessible text version of the presentation can be viewed.