- CSUB is coming to the end of OUTober, a celebration of LGBTQ+ History Month.
- In this video, you hear the story of a student who grew up in Bakersfield- and was not always welcomed due to their sexuality.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
This October, college students at CSUB will be celebrating “OUTober.”
With a month long slate of events focusing on LGBTQ+ voices.
Voices that CSUB staff tells me, aren't always heard at home.
“Although it seems like a lot of progress has been made there are still a lot of issues,” said Jeremiah Sataraka.
Jeremiah Sataraka, Assistant Professor at California State University Bakersfield, is one of the organizers of “OUTober.”
A month filled with performances, pride nights, and resource presentations.
Sataraka said that while these events are for everyone, the specific group he has in mind are “LGBTQ folks, they have to still live with their family, maybe they are still living in a homophobic environment but they are kind of forced to do that for survival reasons,” said Sataraka.
Normally, the month of June is associated with LGBTQ+ pride. But the history month was started by Rodney Wilson in 1994 because “He wanted to have a month during the school year where teachers and community leaders could talk about the contributions, the experiences, and you know, the issues that LGBTQ folks are faced with,” said Sataraka.
Now students at CSUB, like Jovanna Penuelas, have a place to express themselves.
Which they didn't have growing up.
“I've been here since I was five years old so Bakersfield’s really all I’ve known…when I first came out, it was not pleasant to say the least,” said CSUB student, Jovanna Penuelas.
Penuelas says they were called homophobic slurs and described never feeling safe.
Now Penuelas is the president of the LGBTQ+ network on campus, and is part of the generation wanting to make a change.
“I would say that we are moving toward a better environment of inclusivity for the LGBTQ community. What I have felt on campus, specifically this month, has just been an overwhelming joy,” said Penuelas.
“I think it's a really good powerful statement that CSUB is making and hopefully you know we are also able to communicate that message to Kern County in general and Bakersfield as well,” said Sataraka.
For a list of events, you can visit CSUB’s website.
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