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Students on Campus is a weekly podcast hosted by Bella McClintock and Justin Fry with segments regarding events and activities, student government, and weekly guests. This podcast has something for every student.

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Join us in kicking off Pride month with our special guest, Moss from the LGBTQ+ Alliance and De Anza Pride Center, who will discuss resources and community support from these on-campus organizations.

Podcast transcript:

Bella: Welcome back to another episode of students on campus. The podcast hosted by Bella McClintock and Justin Fry. All right, this past week of June 5 was the start of Pride Month and the week started on Monday with the Pride Center raising a pride flag and trans flag on the flagpole. Tuesday was the “Queer and Now” conference with workshops and open mic with keynote speaker Honey Mahogany. Wednesday was the De Anza student leadership recognition gala in the conference from A&B and Friday was the HEFAS summit for hope and solidarity in times of adversity. This was a free event that happens every spring when HEFAS invites students, parents, educators and community members to a day-long Summit Conference this coming week of June 12. It is the season for end-of-year celebrations. Here are the upcoming events that are going to be open to all students. Tuesday EOPS, or extended opportunity programs and services, is hosting a scholar celebration in the California History Center from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday MPS, or the math performance and success program, is holding their success celebration in the Fireside Room from noon to 1:30 p.m. There is an equity champions award ceremony in conference rooms A&B from 2:30 to 4 p.m. First Year Experience award ceremony will be held in conference rooms A & B from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday the EOPS has its end-of-year celebration in the conference rooms from 2 to 4 p.m. and the student athlete awards and ceremony will be in the VPAC from 6 to 7:30 p.m.Friday is Black graduation and achievement celebration in the VPAC from 5 to 8 p.m. There will be a child development and education celebration at Linda Vista Park from 10 a.m. to noon, and Monday June 19, is the celebrated holiday Juneteenth, so there will be no classes.

Bella: Alright, so our guest this week is Moss. Can you introduce yourself?

Moss: Hi I’m Moss, I’m the vice president of social media and outreach at the LGBTQ+ Alliance here at De Anza. I’m a graphic design major; I’m 18 and my pronouns are they/he. 

Bella: So we just have a few questions for you regarding the start of Pride month here at De Anza. So what made you want to be a part of the LGBT Alliance and subsequently, the Pride Center?

Moss: I started out here this year, my friend from high school, she was actually like, ‘Hey, have you heard of the Pride Center?’ and I was like, ‘All right, I guess I’ll check it out.’ Everyone there was super welcoming and inviting. And I feel like it’s like the first time I’ve really been in a queer space where I felt really invited and welcomed. Sorry, that sounds really dumb. But

Bella: Oh no, not at all. Can you describe a little bit about the resources that are available in the Pride Center? 

Moss: Jamie does a lot of the resources we get from people from The Queer Corner, like last week we did harm reduction. We also did a conference for things like legal name changing and marker changing. We also have, there’s just a ton of,  if you go into the Pride Center, there’s a big space with flyers and posters on sexual health.

Bella: Yeah, like all the flyers that are in there from different organizations.

Moss: Yeah, there are just a lot of different resources. Like STI health, safe binding, a lot of gender affirming stuff. There’s a lot of useful resources. We try to do workshops every once in a while. It’s super neat.

Bella: Can you tell me a little bit about the closet that you have in there? 

Moss: We have a closet where people can donate clothes. We have a ton in there right now. If you ever need to change or just need a space for yourself or if you need clothes. You can always just go into the closet and grab whatever you need. There’s like a bunch of crocheting and craft stuff in there. There’s a sewing machine. We have like sergers in there; there’s a bunch of fabric, so if you’re crafty, you can make a ton of stuff. There are a lot of people crocheting there. 

Bella: I think it’s great. You guys have a space for people to get access to gender affirming clothing, especially on a college campus. I think that’s really important. What’s your favorite part about the Pride Center?

Moss: My favorite part? I’d say it’s probably the people. I started out in college and I didn’t think I was gonna meet a lot of people or make a lot of friends, but it’s just that I feel like I have a hard time talking to new people. But I just feel like when I’m in there, there’s no judgment on who I am. And I can just say, ‘Hey, I’m us and this is who I am.’ And people will vibe with that and other people are super cool too. You know, it really just doesn’t matter. You can just be in there and people will like you, be there for you, accept you and all that.

Bella: Yeah, this is kind of the question I was going to ask, but you basically just answered it. As a queer student, have you found the resources at the Pride Center are supportive to you?

Moss: Yeah, it was really supportive. I didn’t even like going in there to seek support, but I just felt like being there with other people. I found a lot of people that cared and supported me. We also have a support group that meets every Tuesday from 2 to 3 p.m. And talking to those people has been a lot of help in just being able to have the outlet without going through the medical processes. 

Bella: Yeah, like having just a community of people that are like minded. Yeah, that’s really great. What is something you wish you had known coming into De Anza?

Moss: I guess I wish I knew about the Pride Center earlier because I found out about it pretty late into the fall quarter. I felt like it would have been really helpful at the beginning of this quarter too. Because, like, that was a very hard quarter. 

Bella: Yeah, especially as a first-time college student.

Moss: Yeah, and then work wasn’t helping. I think I was getting like 37-hour weeks, so it would have been nice to have had that resource there. I felt really alone, like in my first quarter.

Bella: I’m so glad you’re able to find this kind of community to support you. Is there any advice you would like to share with other trans and queer students here at De Anza?

Moss: Um, I guess just know that you’re not alone. You know, there are a lot of people who are like you that are here. And you know, it is kind of hard to be different in a world that, especially right now, doesn’t seem very accepting. But there are people out there that will accept you and will help you, and just as it was a theme for our Queer and Now conference, be unapologetically you, you know, don’t let anything stop you.

Bella: Yeah, I think the Queer and Now conference was phenomenal. I think it’s so cool that an organization on campus was able to organize such an inspiring and fulfilling experience. Especially for someone like myself, I feel like I’ve always questioned and I still don’t know, but just kind of attending and seeing people that pursue careers and are queer, I think it was just really reassuring and then all the open mics and the performances. It was just lovely.

Moss: Yeah, it was really great seeing everyone out there. 

Bella: What sort of lasting impact do you think the Pride Center has on students and the broader community?

Moss: On students? I think it’s a really great way to build community. I feel like a lot of the time, especially during the pandemic, it was on the internet, like all the time. You know, I could see other queer people, but I couldn’t interact with them because we’re open. Of course, there’s messaging and things, but you’re not there in person, and there’s just something about being in that local community that I feel like showing because it’s a lot different in the broader community. I feel like it kind of normalizes queerness more just being able to have that space and just be in there. I’ve got a hard time explaining the actual wisdom. Just having a physical existence and just being able to say, ‘I’m here, we’re going to stay here.’ I feel like that’s something I hadn’t really seen a lot of before coming here. And it’s just something really great to see.

Bella: Are there any upcoming events at the LGBT Alliance or Pride Center that you want to share with our listeners?

Moss: Oh, we do. We still do the support groups every Tuesday. You know, you’re welcome to come in. If you have something to talk about, you know, sometimes we do like to revolve around specific topics. We have lesbian meetings every Thursday from 3 to 5 p.m. This week, we’re doing feedback on Queer and Now. If you ever wanted to write a letter to any of the drag queens, to Honey, to Mayra, or to any others from Tuesday, you could do that today. 

Bella: One last question for you, Moss. We’re so thankful for having you here today. I just want to ask, how are you personally going to celebrate this Pride month?

Moss: I don’t know if I have any specific plans yet. I think I’m going to go with my friends. I like San Francisco and I really want to go this year.

Bella: I’ve never been, but I just really want to go.

Moss: My friend lives there now, so it makes it a lot easier to go out there because I don’t have to worry about going home. I don’t like driving there alone. I can just take the train there because she was right by the train station. But yeah, I do want to check it out in San Francisco. I’ve heard that it’s a lot, but I feel like I haven’t been to a lot of Pride events prior to this. So I would like to go to a lot more of those and just kind of be out there and be in community and all that.

Bella: Well, thank you for coming and joining us today. Is there anything else you’d like to add while you’re here? 

Moss: Follow us on Instagram.

Bella: Yeah, plug all the things.

Moss: We got danza underscore pride. And then De Anza LGBTQ on Instagram. Check out our Discord too. That’s where Jamie would post stuff about most of our events, like guest speakers and all that. So if you want to keep updated on that, you know, check it out. Thank you for having me.

Bella: Thank you so much. Everyone, go check out the Pride Center on campus. It’s right behind the library on the left-hand side if you’re looking at it from the fountain and yeah, thank you so much for coming.

Bella: And as always, we close our episode with resources for students on campus. This includes the mobile food pantry, housing assistance, and health and psychological services. Every student gets a VTA smartpass and Clipper card, and there is HEFAS through VIDA for undocumented student resources. EPS, MPS, and Lead are learning programs for any student, and as always, come join La Voz. We are a student-run publication and have been the voice of De Anza since 1967. If you want to learn more about journalism, enroll in journalism 61A. If you have any questions, you can email us by going to lavozdeanza.com. That’s our website, or by DMing us on Instagram at @LaVozDeAnza. This episode was written by Bella McClintock, recorded by Bella McClintock and Justin Fry. And produced and edited by Justin Fry.