The De Anza College Pride Center celebrated queer ancestry and gave students advocacy resources at its Queer and Now conference on April 21 in Conference Rooms A and B.
“A lot of queer people don’t really have a connection, or (find it) hard to maintain a connection with their queer ancestors,” said Mariana Frias Da Costa, 20, English major and Pride Center staff. “We wanted to make sure that we had an opportunity to hear from our elders.”
Rayceen Pendarvis, a keynote speaker from Washington, opened by reflecting on early HIV-stigma struggles and queer heritage.
“Find joy … Find what gives you purpose … Be creative. Be soulful,” Pendarvis said. “Celebrate your achievements and your accomplishments … Your life is your journey.”
Jamie Pelusi, Pride Center coordinator, said the conference’s 12-year legacy of creating connections began with professors Veronica Kieffer-Lewis, Julie Kieffer-Lewis, Roseanne Jeannini Quinn and Jessica Pari.
“We stand on the shoulders of the people that started this conference,” Pelusi said. “We are able to have this because they did what they did.”
Abril Torres, a 20-year-old music major attending for the second time, called the event transformative.
“Last year, I was friendless,” Torres said. “Coming here to support organizers — who are now my friends — and celebrate my identity has been amazing.”
Pelusi said the event tries to help students “stand a little taller, be a little more confident.”
“The Queer and Now conference is one of my favorite days of the academic year,” volunteer Victoria Kahler, who works at the Writing and Reading Center at De Anza, said. “I’m always looking forward to it because we have great keynote speeches, performances, activities and people getting to connect with each other.”
The conference planning process involved collaborative, decision-making on meals, speakers and workshops.
“We had weekly meetings, and we all made the decisions as a group,” Da Costa said. “We (talked about) what we would eat, who would speak and what kind of workshops we would have.”
Joyce Doanla represented the Santa Clara County Division of Equity and Social Justice at the conference to inform students of its resources and how lawmakers’ policy priorities affect them.
“This is a crucial space for community connection and learning from speakers,” Doanla said.
Conference attendees sat in a drum circle, sang and prayed. They held tobacco before placing it at the center of the drum, to connect with Earth.
Angela Mendoza Dorantes, 20, biology major and Pride Center staff, said the event was important amid growing targeting of queer communities.
“It shows how important it is to support and uplift each other and how important it is for an institution to support their students,” Mendoza Dorantes said.
