For Otter Cross Cultural Center’s (OC3) social justice student coordinator and fourth-year psychology major Monce Navarro Carpio (they/she/ella), it was crucial to spotlight lesbians of color at Cal State Monterey Bay’s all-day lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual and two-spirit (LGBTQIA2S+) summit.
“I was just noticing in queer spaces that lesbians aren’t named, so I think for me it was just really important to center that,” Carpio said. “In terms of organizing, lesbians have been at forefronts of movements for so, so long, and for an LGBTQ+ summit, it just doesn’t make sense not to center lesbians at one point.”
In collaboration with the Rainbow Raft Pride Center, Carpio’s seminar “Radical Belonging: Lesbians of Color Leading Resistance” was held in the Otter Student Union ballroom on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Carpio led the panel featuring guest speaker and self-proclaimed “Chicana dyke” Abby Maestas (she/her/ella), where they both shared intergenerational stories about living as a lesbian, person of color and activist.
Being a proud lesbian for more than 60 years, Maestas founded 20 Rue Jacob, a lesbian bookstore and coffee shop in Salt Lake City, Utah. From 1979 to 1984, she provided a safe space for lesbians to gather, converse and share art.
Throughout the event, Carpio and Maestas emphasized the importance of creating spaces exclusively for lesbians of color, a smaller community that is often underrepresented.
“There’s this whole concept that [lesbians] are not real,” Maestas said. “And you need to be proud of who you are, it’s hard to be proud when you think the whole world is against you.”
Opening the event, Nurayah Alvarado (she/they/fae), the OC3’s sustainability and wellness student coordinator and a third-year biology major, described the challenges.
“It’s just so hard to find other lesbians. It’s so hard to find other lesbians of color, and without having a community you feel like you don’t have that backbone, you don’t have the soil to plant your roots in to grow,” Alvarado said.
Maestas also noted the significance of holding the seminar on Nov. 5, saying, “I can’t think of a better way to spend Election Day.” What began as a scheduling coincidence became an act of protest for Carpio.
“To me, it was a prime point of resistance, where you’re able to literally escape and be with community during such a scary day,” Carpio said. “Queer people deserve to, at least, feel safe on a Tuesday.”