RESOLUTION NO. 625 PASADENA AREA COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT PASADENA CITY COLLEGE

IN SUPPORT OF NATIONAL DAY, OCTOBER 11, 2019

WHEREAS, the Pasadena Area Community College District models, advocates and promotes the safe and respectful treatment of all our members; and

WHEREAS, this diversity is celebrated in our mission statement, which describes the college first and foremost as “an equity-minded learning community”; and

WHEREAS, October 11 is recognized as National Coming Out Day, and this will be the 31st celebration of the day that promotes a safe world for , , bisexual, , and questioning (LGBTQ+) individuals and their allies to live truthfully and openly; and

WHEREAS, National Coming Out Day was founded 31 years ago by two Southern Californians who envisioned a world where LGBTQ+ people could live truthfully and openly. They believed that honest and genuine relationships would undermine the pervasive about LGBTQ+ concerns. Thirty-one years later, that vision still holds true; and

WHEREAS, LGBTQ+ students who can identify an out LGBTQ+ faculty or staff ally report a dramatic increase in feeling safe overall; and

WHEREAS, nearly 25 percent of students either have an LGBTQ+ family member or identify as LGBTQ+ themselves; and

WHEREAS, success rates for LGBTQ+ students are as little as one-third the national rate of non-LGBTQ+ students; and

WHEREAS, we strive to ensure that Pasadena City College is a consistently safe and affirming space for all students and their families; and

WHEREAS, PCC’s Safe Zones Coalition puts this safety and affirmation into action every day through trainings, consultation, and activities for and about LGBTQ+ concerns and are committed to fostering a safe and respectful college and community culture;

NOW, THEREFORE LET IT BE RESOLVED, in recognizing October 11 as National Coming Out Day, the Board of Trustees makes known its support of LGBTQ+ members of our community and support the establishment of programs and practices that support these students, their families, and their allies.

Passed and adopted this October 15, 2019.

Aye: _____ No: _____ Abstain: _____ Absent: _____

______James A. Osterling President, Board of Trustees Pasadena Area Community College District

______Erika Endrijonas, Ph.D. Secretary to the Board of Trustees Pasadena Area Community College District, and Superintendent/President, Pasadena City College