Queensborough Community College officially opened a new Pride Center on March 26, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the college’s LGBTQ community.
Faculty, staff, elected officials, and alums huddled at the site of the new Pride Center — on the second floor of the Administration building in room A-206 at Queensborough Community College — for a special ribbon-cutting ceremony to usher in the new space.
The Pride Center will serve as a full-service resource space that will seek to foster community, promote wellness, and educate students on the opportunities and resources available to them, according to Queensborough Community College. The center will highlight queer and trans history and culture while also preparing students to stand up for themselves as they prepare for the next chapter of their life.
In her remarks, Queensborough Community College president Christine Mangino stressed that the space is open for anyone in the LGBTQ community and she cited data indicating that 17% of students at the college identify as LGBTQ and 10% identify as transgender or “other identity.”
“Opening a space like this is personal for Queensborough,” Mangino said. “We offer numerous supports at the college to ensure our students feel at ease learning in our community, and the Pride Center is an example of that.”
Lamar Greene, the coordinator of the Pride Center, said the word that came to mind when speaking about the Pride Center was “gratitude.”
“This is a co-creating moment for the Center which will continue to thrive, grow and expand,” Greene said. “This space during this time is critical. We need a place of our own to access resources, be ourselves and pursue our dreams through education.”
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, who also joined the ribbon-cutting ceremony, made the case that the college embodies the diversity of the borough.
“Queens is the most diverse county in the country with people from 190 countries and 360 dialects and languages spoken,” Richards said. “In this borough, everyone should be able to tell their story and at QCC that commitment is expressed every day in its values of diversity, equity and inclusion.”
The Pride Center welcomes all students, faculty, and staff to participate in events, programs, and activities hosted at the center — regardless of whether or not they are part of the LGBTQ community.
