2 weeks Ago
APTOS — When times are tough, “look for the helpers.”That’s the advice Fred Rogers offered his audience for decades as host of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” but it was also the opening message delivered to about 100 educators gathered inside a lecture hall at Cabrillo College Friday in support of LGBTQ+ students and community members.“You here are the helpers,” said Adam Spickler, a Cabrillo College trustee and the first openly transgender man elected to public office in California.
“We need to figure out how we wear our coat of armor in a way where the youth that we are serving will see it and find us as helpers.”Spickler’s metaphor of protection and bravery was shared at the LGBTQ+ Symposium for K-14 Educators, organized by the Santa Cruz County Office of Education in partnership with Cabrillo College. The all-day event attracted teachers from San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties, and featured panels and breakout sessions that covered protective state laws, support strategies, student perspectives and inclusion strategies.
Cabrillo College Vice President of Student Affairs Blanca Baltazar-Sabbah speaks during the keynote panel at Friday’s symposium as fellow participants State Senator John Laird, left, and UC Santa Cruz graduate student Zak Keith listen. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)A discussion of laws and policies in California K-12 education at Friday’s symposium in room 450 at Cabrillo College. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)An attentive crowd at Friday’s LGBTQ+ symposium.
(Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)Santa Cruz County Office of Education LGBTQ+ consultant Rob Darrow, right, moderates a panel discussion on Friday. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)Show Caption1 of 4Cabrillo College Vice President of Student Affairs Blanca Baltazar-Sabbah speaks during the keynote panel at Friday’s symposium as fellow participants State Senator John Laird, left, and UC Santa Cruz graduate student Zak Keith listen. (Shmuel Thaler - Santa Cruz Sentinel)Expand“The main purpose is to bring people together who are supporting LGBTQ+ students in schools so they can meet each other and share ideas,” said Rob Darrow, the event’s emcee and an LGBTQ+ consultant with the county Office of Education.
Darrow said he’s been attending education conferences for years focused on history, science or administration, but never felt like there was enough time dedicated to issues impacting LGBTQ+ youth who, according to Darrow, make up 10% to 15% of the state’s student population.“Nobody has a whole conference focused on this group of students,” said Darrow.After enjoying a continental breakfast replete with breakfast burritos and hot coffee, symposium attendees spilled into the lecture hall for a keynote panel focused on allyship and state laws.
During the discussion, Cabrillo’s Vice President of Student Affairs Blanca Baltazar-Sabbah stressed that it is critical for educators to listen to LGBTQ+ youth, connect students to resources and behave in such a way that their actions align with their stated values.“If we’re saying we’re creating a safe space and we welcome you and we’re going to protect you, and then something happens on campus or at your work and you stay silent, you just told your students that you’re not an ally,” said Baltazar-Sabbah. “Students have the most powerful voices, that’s for sure.
And when they come out they’re going to make change. But sometimes they may not be ready, so we need to be sure that we are there; that we are the allies; that we are the adults that are going to take care of them and that our actions are going to be aligned with our values.”Though the event glistened all over with exuberant colors — attendees were welcomed with pride flag-themed resource bags — it took place in the shadow of what many from the LGBTQ+ community are experiencing as a perilous political environment.
In the early hours of his presidency, President Donald Trump issued a flood of executive actions that targeted LGBTQ+ programs and services, and rolled back protections for transgender people.Many in the audience audibly groaned when the topic of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new podcast, “This is Gavin Newsom,” was referenced.
In the show’s inaugural episode, Newsom spoke out against allowing transgender women and girls an opportunity to compete in female sports. His comments drew widespread criticism from progressive leaders in the state, including from the LGBTQ Caucus, which wrote that it was “profoundly sickened and frustrated” by the remarks.State Sen.
John Laird, a member of that caucus and former Cabrillo College trustee, also spoke at the symposium to share updates on recent state laws and offer reflections on the movement for LGBTQ+ rights and protections.Laird said the LGBTQ+ community has grappled with crises before, such as the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the U.S.
military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy of the 1990s. And while he said the current situation “is particularly bad,” he thinks students can help lead the path forward.“There were so many different things where it was two steps forward, and one step back,” said Laird.
Later, he added, “It’s really about being clear where we stand and what we’re doing in these times. That is the important thing.”The symposium also comes a day after Trump signed an executive order that calls for the dismantling of the U.
S. Education Department and more than a week after the department announced it was cutting half its workforce. Though the Education Department’s elimination likely requires an act of Congress, county Superintendent of Schools Faris Sabbah recently told the Sentinel that the administration’s actions are likely to hurt those most in need.
Sabbah told the Sentinel Friday that championing diversity and uplifting underserved communities is more important than ever.“We believe it is a role of government and our schools to stand up for those who are most vulnerable and who have been historically marginalized, to create safe spaces and to right the wrongs of our past,” said Sabbah. “The symposium can really create a new legacy to demonstrate our commitment to our LGBTQ community.
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