What Happened?
On February 13, 2025, the Queer Resource Center hosted their annual welcome event where they laid out the agenda and upcoming events of the semester, and spoke about queer history on campus! Students came in and got some free snacks while the center’s special programs clerk, Robin Bonner (they/them), dropped some knowledge on them. Detailing the struggles and the wins on campus the queer community has had at Butte College.
I was able to talk to Sonny Hawker (she/her) who, as someone who works at the front desk at the QRC, was able to give us a little more insight of what exactly went on that day. Sonny described the welcome event as a way for students to learn and understand the long complicated history of the space, as it has been around since around 2006, and has been a safe place for many different people for all those years.
She went on to say that students were able to learn that the QRC is not the only place that you can go for help or resources when it comes to anything queer on campus, but that “we’re all interconnected to other things that can get information from different one’s.” She said she really enjoyed this aspect because it felt like community.
She talked about how learning about just how long the space had been around, and figuring out that the building had changed since it started was her favorite thing she learned that day.
Come drop in and say hi to Sonny at the QRC one of these days, they’ll be at the front desk ready to check you in!
Student’s experience
I was also able to ask a few students who were in attendance at the event what their thoughts were, and this is what they had to say!
Oliver M. (he/him) told me he really liked the event, and said that his favorite part was how they incorporated teaching queer history into an informative event that also educated students on resources and history combined. He said they always know how to host a good event creatively and get people to want to come.
Another student, Jayden Stuart (she/her) told me that she liked learning about all of the future events they were going to have all semester. By having a table of flyers advertising everything coming up, students were able to know what was gonna be happening in the space for the rest of the year.
She said it was really interesting learning about the long history of advocacy for gender-neutral restrooms for queer and trans students, and it surprised her it took so long, around til 2017, to actually get some on campus.
So, if you are a Butte College student and want to learn more about what’s going on on campus, check the event page on MyBCconnect or contact Robin Bonner. Make sure you also check on any events in the flyers below that catch your eye, the QRC is a safe welcoming space with a long history on campus that is made for students like you!
