BY JAMIE GONZALES

The impending closure of the UH LGBTQ Resource Center caused by the passing of Senate Bill 17 weighs heavy on my heart.

For those unfamiliar with SB 17, it states that “the governing board of an institution of higher education shall ensure that each unit of the institution: (1) does not, except as required by federal law: (A) establish or maintain a diversity, equity, and inclusion office.” This law extends to “offices conducting trainings, programs, or activities designed or implemented in reference to race, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation.”

The resource center was the first place I felt at home as a full-time student affairs professional in 2016. It is where I began to find my confidence. It is where I began to overcome my imposter syndrome and hone my personal leadership style. It is the place where I met countless students—especially the SAGA (Sexuality and Gender Acceptance Squad) leaders, student staff, and Gamma Rho Lambda officers—who graduated and became active leaders in Houston and beyond.

It is where I had emotional and raw conversations with students and colleagues about struggles with domestic violence, family rejection, addiction, suicidal ideation, discrimination, and so much more. (As I type this, a vision pops into my head of when I used to literally lay flat on the office floor my supervisor’s office after the mental and emotional exhaustion of a heavy talk.)

BUT it is also where I witnessed SO MANY humans begin to heal, find community, connect with resources, fall in love, prepare for grad school, start a career, and accomplish things they had never imagined. It is truly the most meaningful and transformational work I have done to date.

Even after joining University Career Services as a career counselor and then leaving the University of Houston to join oSTEM, I have always stayed close to and invested in the team, the students, and the mission of the Resource Center. When I talk about their leadership programs or educational trainings or Lavender Graduation, I STILL accidentally refer to them as “our” programs and services because the work didn’t feel like something I once did, in the past. It felt (and feels) like who I am.

I will never be able to truly quantify how much the LGBTQ Resource Center, my former colleagues, and my students-turned-friends have impacted my life, but I would want them to know that because I knew them, I have been changed for good.

My heart breaks thinking about the YEARS of work put in by campus faculty and staff like Dr. Guillermo de los Reyes and Dr. Maria Gonzalez to even HAVE a center like that on a college campus in Texas. While I am indeed devastated (and honestly still in shock), deep down I know this is not the end. To quote my friend Davis Mendoza Darusman, director of events for the UH LGBTQ Alumni Association, “You can close our LGBTQ Resource Center, but the LGBTQ community isn’t going anywhere.”

This legislative session has been particularly brutal, especially for our trans siblings, but our community is strong, adaptable, and resilient. We will find a way to continue to find one another, uplift our trans siblings, and foster young people looking for hope and possibility models.

My heart is with the current staff navigating the difficult and unimaginable task of saying goodbye to the space as we know it.

* * * * *

Postscript: The UH LGBTQ Alumni Association gives our emergency aid funds to LGBTQ+ students in need; however, we had to pause it this year because we were not able to fundraise as quickly as requests were coming in (especially since COVID). From 2022-2023 the Alumni Association awarded $6,000 in scholarships and $7,000 in emergency aid. Readers can donate by visiting University of Houston: Give to UH Now – University of Houston, choosing the UHAA tab, and selecting the LGBTQ Alumni Association as the Constituent Alumni Association.

Jamie Gonzales (she/her) is the director of emergency aid and scholarships with UH LGBTQ Alumni Association (2022-2023), former diversity education coordinator of the UH LGBTQ Resource Center (2016-2020), and current director of community relations and events at oSTEM.