The Fresno State Cross-Cultural and Gender Center (CCGC) raised the Progress Pride Flag today at the Veteran’s Monument.
Over 100 people came to witness the fifth annual gathering and show their support of the LGBTQ+ community.
“It is a marker of our openness, it is a marker of our progress as an institution,” said Varselles Cummins, director of the CCGC.
Keynote speakers shared words of encouragement, history and hope for the future in front of the monument. They were met with cheers and praise from the crowd as many came sporting ally attire and flags.
Gloria Negrete-Lopez, associate professor in the Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies(WGSS), spoke on the history of pride. She discussed how its origins of protest were caused by transgender and queer people who decided to fight for their equality.
“That’s why we raise this flag,” Negrete-Lopez said. “Not just in celebration, but in solidarity because pride is about being strong together.”
Fresno State is home to many LGBTQ+ services and opportunities. Kat Fobear, associate professor in the department of WGSS, is also the founder of one of the fastest-growing minors at Fresno State, LGBTQ2+ Studies.
Fobear highlighted other resources for students wanting more knowledge or support.
Fresno State’s Arne Nixon Center also has one of the largest collections of LGBTQ+ children’s books in the country. The Student Health and Counseling Center also offers gender affirming and medical care for members of the community.
“Having the resources here on campus as well as something like a flag raising is an important step to making sure that our LGBTQ2+ students feel a sense of belonging and that they complete their degrees, which is the most important part,” Fobear said.
Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval gave his full support to the community and participated in the flag raising.
Following the event, people gathered for photos in front of the flag and chatted with one another in the CCGC.
The key takeaway for many was the sense of community and belonging. Angelo Gonzalez, assistant professor in the Higher Education Administration and Leadership program, shared some words of encouragement for students.
“You do have faculty and staff here who are here to support you, to affirm you, who have shared identities as you,” Gonzalez said. “You can reach out and ask ‘how do we do it?’”
