LBCC Pride Lounge event focuses on mental health, identity and belonging

The Pride Lounge hosted “Mental Health, Identity, and Finding Your Own Space” on Sept. 24.

Students heard from mental health advocate Alice Noriega and discussed the challenges they have faced as members of the LGBTQ+ community. 

Noriega said Pride represents visibility, authenticity and remembering those who fought for LGBTQ+ rights. 

Noriega explained that Pride gives members of the LBGTQ+ community an opportunity to openly celebrate their identities and express who they are, while also recognizing the history behind the movement and the people whose efforts helped create the rights the community has today.

Members of the LGBTQ+ community can face challenges related to identity, acceptance and belonging.

For students, these experiences can affect their mental health, which makes these conversations especially important within the community.

Student Edgar Luna, who goes by “Luna,” discussed why these conversations matter and how mental health has affected her personally.

Luna said that conversations about mental health are necessary for the LGBTQ+ community because some individuals may experience challenges such as depression and anxiety. 

She said that people should not feel ashamed or embarrassed about struggling with their mental health and encouraged others to be more open about and accepting of those experiences.

Throughout the event, students and hosts talked about the pressure that family, culture and society can place on members of the LGBTQ+ community.

The coordinator of the event and students said that events like this are important to have at school because they can provide a safe space for students to create connections and discuss their hardships. 

“Not a lot of people have these spaces at home, so having a space where you can get out and get into it is really necessary for the LGBTQ+ community,” Harley Cooper-Guinn, a theater arts major, said.

^{LBCC Pride Lounge promotes a safe environment for the LGBTQIA+ students during the Mental Health, Identity and Finding Your Space event on Thursday, Sept. 24. The event brought students together to connect and share experiences.(Abigail Soto Godinez)}

Chris Garcia, the student affairs program coordinator, encouraged students to express their identities despite discrimination they may face.

“I would say that we all carry our own unique light and our own unique way of navigating through life,” Garcia said. “People will try to dim your light … and the important message here is that your light comes from you,” he added.

Students at the Pride Lounge said that the event gave them a chance to reflect on how they perceive themselves and their identities. 

“I can look at myself more, and look at my own identity without having people pick it out for me,” Cooper-Guinn said. 

For interested students, The Pride Lounge is open Thursdays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.