Student regent speaks of her experience as part of National Coming Out Week
University of California Student Regent Marcela Ramirez shared her experiences advocating for LGBT and gender inclusivity in higher education at a National Coming Out Day talk. (Pinkie Su/Daily Bruin)
The University of California student regent spoke about her experience as a Queer Chicana student at a panel on National Coming Out Day.
The event, hosted by the Queer Alliance at UCLA on Tuesday, featured Student Regent Marcela Ramirez. Ramirez shared her own experience of coming out as a Queer woman of color and the effort she has been making to promote LGBT and gender inclusivity in higher education.
Raja Bhattar, the director of the UCLA LGBT Campus Resource Center, invited Ramirez to speak on the panel after serving with her on the UC Office of the President’s LGBT advisory committee, she said.
Ramirez said she participated in committee discussions that led to gender-inclusive changes to the UC application. The UC admissions application now includes a question that asks students about their gender identity. She was also involved in the decision to increase the number of gender-neutral restrooms on UC campuses.
She added she also worked with the Academic Initiative Subgroup to increase the visibility of LGBT scholars in the UC system.
At the event, Ramirez said she was frustrated with some of the ways she has been represented in the media.
Ramirez said that the Los Angeles Times article announcing her appointment to the board of Regents focused on her status as the first openly gay woman of color on the board, instead of her achievements.
“The ways in which your story is told by the media may not be how you personally identify,” Ramirez said. “Being visible means telling your own story in your own words, and being seen how you want to be seen. Self-identification is the key.”
Ramirez also said she thinks it is important to talk about visibility of LGBT scholars on National Coming Out Day.
“Queer scholarship and research are important” Ramirez said. “Different people have different lived experiences, so I think it’s important to provide a platform for queer and trans scholars.”
Across the UC system, there have been inconsistent developments in services for LGBT students, including mental health resources and health exams that are specific to transgender patients, Ramirez said.
For example, UC Berkeley is the only UC school to have surgeons who work with transgender patients, Bhattar said.
Additionally, Ramirez said she thinks students should advocate for issues that affect LGBT people of color in particular, such as increasing resources for mental health problems, suicide prevention and homelessness.
She suggested that LGBT students try to relieve themselves from the stigma they feel on a daily basis through activities like journal writing or dancing. She said she thinks people can’t empower others without first taking care of themselves.
She added she thinks the gay nightclub shooting in Orlando in June made queer Latinos feel targeted. After the shooting, queer Latinos may feel unsafe being in public with their partners, making it difficult for them to be visible, she said.
[Related: Bruins tell their stories for National Coming Out Weeks]
Ara Shamsian, a third-year communication studies student who attended the event, said he was exposed to misinformation about the queer community because he grew up in a big Middle Eastern family. He said he thinks allying with queer peers and supporting each other is essential.
“We can try to empower others through little things we do such as accompanying and listening to them,” Shamsian said. “Knowing we are there for them already means something to the queer people around us.”
Crystal Gutierrez, a second-year business economics student, said she thinks students who have concerns about coming out need to be open to themselves first.
“Coming out is a process that never really ends,” Gutierrez said. “But as long as you know what you need, everything is under control.”
The Queer Alliance at UCLA and other campus LGBT organizations will continue to host similar events throughout National Coming Out Week.
On Wednesday evening, the Lambda Alumni Association, Queer Alliance at UCLA and LGBT Campus Resource Center will present a film screening of “Letter to Anita” in the James West Alumni Center. On Thursday, the LGBT Campus Resource Center will hold a BlaQue healing space in the Student Activities Center for black students to heal from discrimination.
Contributing reports by Jeong Park, Daily Bruin senior staff.
