Finding your own identity, loving yourself for it, coming out and discovering a community of people who accept you for you. The LGBTQ+ experience means something unique to everyone. The journey ahead can look harrowing for a UCLA student to navigate, especially when they feel alone and unsupported in their own identity. Fortunately, you’re not alone. Students can find LGBTQ+ resources at the UCLA LGBTQ Campus Resource Center (UCLA LGBTQ CRC) and many other student-led organizations. Whether you need a social circle of students like you, mental and medical resources or ways to get involved with advocacy, you just might find what you’re looking for at UCLA.
Take a look at some of the best LGBTQ+ resources for Bruins at UCLA:
1. Weekly Affinity Spaces: QTBIPOC Space and The Ace Space
Meet Bruins like you at the LGBTQ CRC’s weekly Affinity Spaces. UCLA’s virtual Affinity Spaces include the Queer and Trans Black, Indigenous, People of Color (QTBIPOC) Affinity Space and The Ace Space, an Asexual and Aromantic Affinity Space. These weekly sessions hold space specifically for QTBIPOC and Ace Bruins to freely express themselves in an understanding community of their own. Students in the Affinity Spaces decide for themselves what they hold space for. Activities might include anything from study sessions to game nights, resource sharing and more. The QTBIPOC Space makes time for students to play fun activities such as spooky storytelling, to share LGBTQ+ resources and to form connections with each other.
“I remember not being able to join the QTBIPOC space until winter of last year, which was my first experience with it,” QTBIPOC Space Programming Assistant and UCLA second year transfer student Luke/Isa Gidwani Monterrubio said. “Once I was finally able to join it, I really loved it. It was something I looked forward to every week. During the time I was going through a lot, so it was kind of like my space where it was nothing but just being there. Even though it was online, it was really cool to experience that and to get to know others.”
The Ace Space works the same way.
Students can do anything from finger painting, gaming at Nintendo parties and even giving a PowerPoint presentation about whether any character or object of their choosing gives off ace or aro vibes. Anything is on the table, really, as long as everyone wants to hold space for it. While each space serves different communities, both the QTBIPOC Space and the Ace Space pride themselves on being places where students can simply exist without fearing judgement from others.
“When I was talking to everyone about what I should represent about them, they said: the whole sense of community and no-judgement feeling that they have in this space,” The Ace Space coordinator and UCLA transfer student Shawn Adams said. “That was gratifying for me because that was what I was hoping to do: to create a safe space for the community. The sense of having a community of people you can ask for help and see every week and a no-judgement space is what I look forward to.”
The UCLA LGBTQ CRC also offers two other weekly programs called We Write the Rainbow and QT Astrolotea. These further the ability to bond through their interests in topics such as pop culture. Each space meets virtually, in-person or both depending on which one you join. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of a fun and accepting community.
2. Transgender UCLA Pride (TransUP)
With spaces to bond over the gender experience and a no-stakes group chat to join and make friends, TransUP welcomes all trans, nonbinary, genderqueer, agender and gender questioning Bruins. At their virtual drop-in Community Space sessions, Bruins can hold study sessions, de-stress with art or simply hang out, socializing with fellow trans Bruins who share their experiences. As a recent addition, TransUP also provides a new mentorship program where undergraduates and graduates with similar professional interests can form connections and exchange career advice. While TransUP appreciates ally support, please keep in mind that TransUP Community Spaces are reserved for trans, nonbinary, genderqueer, agender and gender questioning Bruins.
3. Blaque
If you know about the concept of intersectionality, you’ll know that our social identities come together to impact our life experiences. For black LGBTQ+ Bruins looking for a space to call their own, look no further than BlaQue at UCLA. BlaQue meets two identities in the middle by focusing on issues specific to the intersection between race and gender. They explore topics like the expression of identity through clothing, exploring queerness within black families and more. BlaQue also hosts fun opportunities to bond with fellow LGBTQ+ Bruins and allies such as game nights and study nights.
4. Pride Admit Weekend
Newly admitted and transfer Bruins can make LGBTQ+ friends at UCLA right off the bat at Pride Admit Weekend (PAW), co-hosted by the UCLA LGBTQ CRC, Queer Alliance and UCLA Lambda Alumni Association. PAW occurs two separate times: Transfer Pride Admit Weekend takes place at a later date than Freshmen Pride Admit Weekend. For a weekend under the guidance of PAW’s student leaders, or Family Heads, new students expand their knowledge of the LGBTQ+ community and UCLA’s LGBTQ+ resources while meeting fellow queer Bruins along the way. At the same time, they receive guidance about living life on campus, which prepares them to navigate their first year at UCLA. It sounds like a giant leap to make going into college, but who knows? You might end up meeting some future best friends to join you for the rest of your college experience.
5. LGBTQ Student Advocacy Committee
Passionate about advocating and spreading awareness of the struggles the LGBTQ+ community faces? Consider applying for the LGBTQ Student Advocacy committee at the UCLA LGBTQ CRC. The LGBTQ Student Advocacy Committee works on projects such as compiling mental health and LGBTQ+ resources, holding discussion spaces for LGBTQ students and doing advocacy work to make change on campus. Join the LGBTQ Student Advocacy Committee to unify with other students in taking action on LGBTQ+ issues.
“Check out our LGBTQ Student Advocacy Committee, which is a leadership development opportunity for UCLA graduate and undergraduate students to address LGBTQIA+ related concerns on campus. We will be recruiting new members in the fall for the upcoming year. Of course, students can also get involved in other places at UCLA by becoming leaders in student-led organizations like the Queer Alliance,” Director of the UCLA LGBTQ Campus Resource Center Andy Cofino said.
As a member of the committee, you’ll help raise awareness about LGBTQ+ needs and develop your own leadership skills in the process. The committee played a major role in addressing LGBTQ+ issues in the past. This includes biphobia, increasing student accessibility to all-gender restrooms and gender inclusive housing. The LGBTQ Student Advocacy Committee acts as the leading light in the LGBTQ Bruin community and calls out to anyone seeking to make an impact.
6. CAPS
At freshman orientation, we all hear about UCLA’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), the hub of everything mental health at UCLA. Did you know that CAPS offers specialized counseling services and treatments tailored to the LGBTQ+ community? The LGBTQ Student Services provides individual and group therapy sessions conducted by licensed therapists who specialize in sexual and gender identity. Transgender Care at CAPS addresses mental health concerns specific to gender identity and provides guidance when it comes to medical procedures for transitioning students. Check out CAPS’s specialty services to find the LGBTQ-specific treatments you need.
7. Gender Health Program
For transgender or genderqueer students seeking gender-affirming medical therapies and treatments, UCLA’s Gender Health Program at UCLA Health offers a smorgasbord of services ranging from hormone therapy to top and bottom surgery. Confused about transgender medical procedures and healthcare insurance? Their website also provides a guide to navigating trans health insurance, LGBTQ+ resources for learning gender terminology and even a map of UCLA’s inclusive All-Gender restrooms. Consider this program the hub of everything gender health at UCLA.
“We recognize that there’s not one correct way to transition. It’s a very unique and individualized process, so we bring in a bunch of providers across specialties that are very interested in elevating and supporting folks in community,” UCLA Gender Health Program Manager Christopher Mann said. “We see folks that are in the larger LA community, but we also work with students. Students will often start at the Arthur Ashe Center and get connected there for primary care and hormones, but if they’re needing specialty care or are looking for surgeries, they’ll be referred over to our system.”
The Gender Health Program also makes research and outreach efforts to support LA’s people in the healthcare system. Primarily because the LGBTQ+ community faces great struggles accessing health LGBTQ+ resources. If you need a place to trust with your healthcare and gender-affirming needs, look no further. You can trust UCLA’s Gender Health Program.
8. Pride Alliance at David Geffen School of Medicine
Both graduate and undergraduate med students can seek social support as well as ways to get involved with LGBTQ+ healthcare advocacy at the Pride Alliance. Their three-pronged mission includes building connections with health professionals through mentorship, creating change within the medical field towards health equity for LGBTQ+ communities and working to combat social discrimination. The Pride Alliance provides a safe space for queer students to pursue their interests in the queer health field, grow comfortable talking about LGBTQ+ healthcare issues and undergo mentorship by queer professionals with medical training.
“The most rewarding thing has been the relationships I’ve built with folks that are passionate about the same things I am,” President of the Pride Alliance and UCLA second year Dustin Dillon said. “It’s really neat to be able to work together to address things that we think can be better. It’s work, but it brings me joy to do it. I absolutely love just being in queer spaces. Being an active part of creating that queer space is just really, really awesome. Hopefully years from now, issues like anti-trans legislation won’t exist. Getting to be a part of that fight alongside my fellow leadership and non-leadership Pride Alliance members is really cool.”
Bruins unite under the common mission of supporting LGBTQ+ in medicine and healthcare and attaining their own personal growth. LGBTQ+ healthcare support remains a great need in our society and the Pride Alliance provides many opportunities to get involved. Perhaps one day, the fight you become a part of will pay off. Join them for a social event or take it a step further and apply for their leadership team.
9. Lavender Health Alliance
Taking the pre-health track already feels harrowing on its own: what kind of support can queer pre-health Bruins find on campus? The Lavender Health Alliance (LHA) welcomes all pre-health students to come network with medical professionals and fellow Bruins, with an emphasis on queer students. Students can find not only professional, but academic support at the LHA specific to pre-health. Worried about your MCAT? The LHA provides a resource bank for its students to help them with their MCAT, GED and more academic materials to study for your next test. Through its resources and activities, LHA hopes to make academic life as easy as possible by providing support for queer students on the pre-health track.
“You don’t have to be queer or pre-health to join LHA. If you can find our resources helpful, 100% come and join us. It’s just that we always try to emphasize queer students first and foremost, as they are the ones who need our resources most,” Lavender Health Alliance President and UCLA second year Bernie Thambiraja said. “Realizing that so many people are on the same page as me, that they’re here because they want to do something for this community that means something to them, is really rewarding.”
Not enough queer students have the professional experience they need to feel prepared in their careers. LHA’s most notable program gives students the opportunity to do clinical volunteering at the LGBTQ Center. They are able to get hands-on experience in health. With opportunities to volunteer and talk with fellow Bruins, the Lavender Health Alliance makes serving the LGBTQ Bruin community in health and academics its top priority.
10. UCLA Lambda Alumni Association
Just because you graduated doesn’t mean you can’t get involved with the LGBTQ+ community at UCLA. The UCLA Lambda Alumni Association welcomes all LGBTQ+ graduated Bruins to attend Lambda events to network with fellow LGBTQ+ alumni. Lambda also supports current LGBTQ+ students at UCLA through mentorship, annual scholarships and awards along with activism efforts. Members of UCLA Lambda value the sense of community that comes with being part of a network of LGBTQ+ Bruins.
“Some of the most esteemed, passionate, driven and amazing folks that I’ve met are the queer and trans Bruins of UCLA,” UCLA Lambda Alumni Association Board Co-Chair Jade Rivera said. “I got my start being involved in our community through Transfer Pride Admit Weekend. Our alumni network, which at the time was chaired by Kaya Foster, reached out and let us know that our alumni are here to support you, we love you, we think you’re amazing and we’re here to support you. That was my first impression of Lambda and I would say the spirit of community and of staying connected is still really present in our foundation and our organizational culture.”
Lambda continuously hosts memorable events such as Pride Admit Weekend. An event which is actually held in conjunction with the Queer Alliance. That’s not to mention their annual tradition, Dinners for 12 Strangers, where UCLA alumni, students and faculty join each other at the table for food and chatting. Join UCLA Lambda to stay a part of the Bruin community even after graduation.
