The path of a queer person is unique in our society. Unlike skin color, where trying to hide one’s ethnic background borders on the absurd to the point of it being the premise of comedy movies, it is possible to mask one’s gender and sexual orientation to hide the fact that they are not a heteronormative person. This presents us with the phenomenon known as “coming out,” in which one steps into the public eye, openly embodying their pride. Cuesta College can provide fertile ground for these big steps to happen.

Coming out can be a truly pivotal moment for many, who often describe it as the scariest, most stressful, or most rewarding and empowering experience they have had to that point. For good reason, coming out, despite a century having passed since Henry Gerber, is still something that will be heavily considered for a long time.

Cuesta College, therefore, can be the first place for people to express their interests and who they are. The social and geographical isolation of Cuesta’s San Luis Obispo campus adds to both the cultural sensitivity and the reasonable safety that come with the territory, allowing Cuesta to develop its own microcosm of campus culture.

Several students have acknowledged Cuesta as a good starting point for meeting other members of the LGBTQ+ Community, with the social aspect noted as pretty robust. “For people willing to engage openly, queer people at Cuesta are incredibly friendly and welcoming of new connections,” said Willow Brooke, a pre-nursing student. “I find it very easy to meet new people as an extrovert.”

For introverts, the Cuesta Pride Club, now in its third iteration, has been a well-liked support network for its members. Yet for Brooke, the pride club falls to the same weaknesses that are found across campus. “People tend to keep to themselves,” she said.  “I know that a lot of introverts have a harder time, which is a more deep-seated problem with social life at Cuesta as a whole.”

Student John Dawson echoed the sentiment. “I am still coming to grips with my gender and sexuality, but it is hard to find the time to join the club to talk to other queers on campus,” he said. “Unfortunately, I also cannot discuss this topic at home, as for my parents, the conversation can’t even get off the ground.”

Cuesta has had a working Pride Club since fall 2020 and has hosted regular meetings and events for the community, ranging from campfires to drag queen brunches. The art of bringing the Pride community together with the Cuesta border community is an ongoing task. Katie Wiest, a recent Cuesta graduate, speculated that the upcoming social hour will make the Pride Club more accessible. “People were fairly involved with the club, and we had many successful events.  I think everyone wants the club to succeed,” Wiest said. “Social hour will probably help pride because it will be easier to schedule meetings when everyone can make it.”

The growth in people identifying themselves on the queer spectrum compared to being straight has risen noticeably in Gen Z, with many coming out around the ages of 18-22, another markedly different trend from older generations. Colleges and higher education can be the first place for some people to come out, as high schools can be a more hostile environment. “It was quite bad,” Brooke said. 

The animosity felt at high schools impacts the learning ability and grades of some queer students like Dawson, who reflected on the ease they feel at Cuesta compared to their time at Atascadero High School. 

“I was always masking myself, since I saw the rough treatment other queer people experienced at AHS,” Dawson said. “Now, though, I can dress how I like at Cuesta and express myself how I want. I know my grades are better because of how much less stressed I am in my classes.”

The nature of higher education not only allows people to learn new things about the world, but also about themselves. Cuesta’s perceived safety on campus and its optimistic, enthusiastic approach to instruction benefit the LGBTQ+ community as a whole. Brooke found that the campus’s safe atmosphere and classes they took helped them achieve more self-actualization: “I even feel safer at Cuesta than at Cal Poly, and wouldn’t be at all surprised if Cuesta has a higher percentage of queer students,” Brooke said. “My professors have always been very openly accepting and kind regarding my chosen name and pronouns, as have all of the other staff.”

Even though overall support for LGBTQ issues has declined in 2026, Pride is gaining momentum among Gen Z. Cuesta provides a valuable learning environment for this community and shouldn’t rest on its laurels. Cuesta’s Pride Club maintains an interactive Instagram and will no doubt benefit from the upcoming social hour, which will help foster connections between communities. Until then, we would be wise to celebrate Pride around the county and carry that love and support into the fall semester to keep Cuesta a place for Pride. 

Brooke hopes to see Cuesta stay a safe place for self-actualization, adding: “Cuesta is a comparatively very good place to be queer.”