All people are different.

Everyone has a different cultural and social background.  Some may have experienced self-segregation or discrimination from others. With this, we should all be attentive to the difference of others among us.

In the words of Eric Roth, screenwriter for the movie Forrest Gump, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.”

I connect personally with this quote because of its openness to variety and difference. One should not assume that the person next to them is LGBT or not. Don’t assume one’s sexual identity has to be cookie cutter perfect.

Fresno City College student John Vue says he made it through his life bullied as a victim of hate from fellow students growing up. Now he feels awkward seeing the same people from his early life going to college.

FCC has a zero tolerance for harassment and discrimination. The campus offers Diversity club where LGBT students can come and congregate socially with each other. The meetings inform students about upcoming events and fundraisers for the LGBT community.

Diversity Club President John Cervantez encourages family and supporters to come to the next club rush and join the club. Meetings are held every Friday from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Staff Dining Hall.

The Diversity Club and ASG have made an effort to create a safe zone for LGBT students. A safe zone would be a place which students of victimization or abuse could go to seek further help and counseling from specially trained individuals.

However, the actions of ASG and their placement of monetary value for Safe Zones have decreased the chances of turning this dream into reality. Something of such importance as student safety should never be put on the back burner.

“The budget did not have the funds available,” said Grisanti Valencia, former ASG representative and FCC student.

The biggest tool we have as an LGBT community is our voice. We have to stick together and fight for our right to be here and to be treated as equals while at FCC. Without our voice as a community, we are powerless in our fight for LGBT rights.

Having grown up in Washington, I have seen the difference between Washington and California. I noticed people in California have less of a social connection to their LGBT community. In Washington, the community is very open to LGBT life. They accept it as a normality of life. Maybe in another 10 years, we will be able to see some of the social openness as I came to accept at Seattle.

Dealing with things like coming out to your family can be undoubtedly one of the hardest transitions. Looking back into my coming out experience in the 1990s seems like a distant time warp for me. Back then, things like homosexuality were still being treated like a curable disease. Either you were out socially with your friends and family or you were in the closet.

I believe in personal expression as long as no one gets hurt. But when does it go too far?  I like to think of all people as equal and find no harm in talking to strangers that need a friend to talk to.

What does the future hold for LGBT? I would like to have some bright rainbow colored flags that match the local Tower area for support of our LGBT family.  The best way to make changes and have our voices heard is to support our loved ones and be a part of the change.

My belief is to not judge people because of their past and to look toward the future, despite the curve ball life throws at us.