The Pride Center held its annual open house to facilitate community building for the LGBTQ+ community and allies at Citrus College.
The Citrus College Pride Center, in room 117 of the Campus Center, held its annual open house on Sept. 9.
“Before getting involved in the Pride Center, I didn’t really have a sense of community here on campus,” Alexander Ainsworth, the Pride Center student assistant, said. “The center really means community.”
The Pride Center coordinator, Anastasia Arnestad, shared information about the center, for queer people and allies to all take advantage of.
There is a wide range of student support in the Pride Center.
The Pride Center is stocked with snacks and personal care items as well as support resources for queer students
Arnestad said she works closely with on campus and off campus queer-focused people and organizations that make Citrus College a safe space for LGBTQ+ students and allies.
The Pomona Valley Pride Center and the Los Angeles LBGT Center are two off-campus support services Arnesrtad said she directs students to.
These support services offer emergency housing and gender-affirming care, Arnestad said.
Arnestad said upcoming events for fall semester include study halls, a harm reduction workshop, a queer short independent film viewing and more, which can all be found on the Pride Center’s events and activities page.
Citrus student Daniel Orrelas said the Pride Center has given him community.
“I think the thing that has benefited me most (in the Pride Center) is people to have a laugh with,” Orrelas said.
Another student, Zura Benavidez, said she feels welcomed in the Pride Center.
“It helped me meet a lot of people in the queer community and have a place where I feel welcomed and just exist,” Benavidez said. “It’s like a breath of fresh air.”
The Pride Center is open to all, Arnestad said.
