The work of SJSU students, faculty and staff championing LGBTQIA+ visibility on campus set the foundation for establishing The SJSU Pride Center in 2008, according to the Spartan Daily Archives.
Brief SJSU queer history
Wiggsy Sivertsen, former long-time counselor and sociology professor, has worked on LGBTQIA+ justice and rights issues for over 40 years on and off campus.
“When I came to San José State I refused to be in the closet,” Sivertsen said.
Sivertsen said before attending SJSU, she was fired from her job after management determined she was a lesbian.
Sivertsen had come out at SJSU, but her activism journey did not begin until 1977, according to a biography on Queer Silicon Valley’s website.
“Prior to the time there were any other (out) gay or lesbian people doing the thing, it was kind of dangerous to be too vocal about stuff so I was kind of quiet about it for a while,” Sivertsen said.
Coming out is a term used to describe when an individual decides to share their LGBTQIA+ identity, according to a webpage from the Stonewall human rights group.
She said there was no “out” faculty or staff on campus when she was a counselor.
“The students couldn’t find people to support them and whatnot,” Sivertsen said. “So they started coming (to me).”
SJSU’s Gay Liberation Front (GLF) was recognized by Associated Students in 1969, according to the Spartan Daily archives.
“I became kind of like their faculty advisor because students (were) their faculty advisors at the time,” Sivertsen said. “That’s how we started the beginning of a long journey.”
Judy Rickard, former news editor for the Spartan Daily, wasn’t out while she attended SJSU.
“I was a late bloomer in terms of activism, but I have been fighting the fight since I was in my 20s,” Rickard said.
She said had there been a Pride Center, she would have understood her sexuality sooner.
Brief history of The Pride Center
The Pride Center was established in 2008, according to the Queer Silicon Valley website.
Former SJSU President Don Kassing helped to establish the center alongside Sivertsen and SJSU’s Associated Students.
A resolution passed by A.S. in 2005 called for a dedicated space as the LGBT Resource Center, according to a 2005-2006 A.S. Resolution.
“I thought it was the right time” Kassing said, “Or not the right time but it was just time.”
Director of the SJSU Pride Center Bonnie Sugiyama, who uses they/them pronouns, has been with the center since its establishment.
“There’s definitely people who don’t need a pride center necessarily, but there’s comfort that exists by just knowing there is one ,” Sugiyama said.
They said there are students who need to be in the space whether that's feeling like they aren’t supported in society, fear of not being accepted or people not knowing how to interact.
The Pride Center, current and beyond
Sugiyama said the SJSU Pride Center moved into the Student Union building in April 2016 following the Student Union expansion.
“The ultimate goal I have for this space is to teach people how to be advocates in all the spaces that they go into.” Sugiyama said.
They said the center worked with SJSU’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and the peer mentor program to create Peers in Pride.
Peers in Pride is a mentoring program that helps to create unity among LGBTQIA+ students on campus, according to the Peers in Pride webpage.
“At the time the Pride Center started there was no ‘out’ counselor in our counseling department,” Sugiyama said.
They said that because of the creation of the Pride Center and the partnership with CAPS, there's been increased visibility of queer counselors.
“We usually have at least two, three trainees, sometimes four, who identify with the LGBTQ+ community,” Sugiyama said.
Similarly, information technology (IT) programs on campus have been adapted to allow people to put in their preferred name so it gets properly distributed, according to SJSU’s Office of Registrar webpage.
Sugiyama said it was a technological uphill battle, but collaborating with former University Registrar Marion Yao helped to create the preferred name and pronoun system.
“Now we have the ability for students to change stuff,” Sugiyama said. “It doesn’t just benefit the (transgender) population, it also benefits people who want to go by a different name.”
A preferred name is a name that a student wants to be commonly referred to, according to a webpage by SJSU Pride Center.
Students can enter their preferred name on the SJSU Email, MySJSU, Canvas, Zoom and diploma name, according to the same website.
Sugiyama said there are more “out” staff and people are coming to workplaces already being “out”.
Wiggsy Sivertsen, feels comfort seeing the evolution of queer visibility in society.
“It’s rewarding to recognize that there’s been some change, we have far to go,” Sivertsen said. “But we still need to keep going.”
