By Griffin Mancuso

EDIT: Information regarding the groups who responded to the Turning Point table has been edited for accuracy. While the group playing music had students who are members of The Marching Lumberjacks, it was not an officially organized event.

Turning Point USA, an organization that advocates for right-wing policies and ideologies, set up a booth at Cal Poly Humboldt in the GSAC quad this past Thursday, Feb. 6. Conservative activist Chloe Cole — who opposes gender-affirming care for minors — joined their tabling that day. 

In response, dozens of students and faculty gathered with pride flags and pamphlets, and a group arrived to play music. On the same day, the Humboldt Peer Health Educators and Check It decided to host a queer joy event for LGBTQIA+ students and their allies to gather and socialize. Several students at this event shared their experiences with queer joy and how they connect with their community.

“The way I would see queer joy is [through] love, community, and safety. I think queer joy is walking down the street with your partner and not having people look at you strangely, or weird side eyes or double takes.”

Arlo Purnell
Junior, psychology major and minor in studio art

“I’m in a queer relationship, so being able to be with my partner and be out in public and walk around with them, and being able to love publicly, I feel like, is queer joy to me.”

Jade Hisamoto
Junior, studio art major

“We need [queer joy] now more than ever, so just do what you can instead of spiraling into a depression about everything that’s going on. Focus on uplifting yourself and making the impact that you can in your community before you worry about trying to change the world.”

Leo Alley
Junior, wildlife major

“You deserve [queer joy]; every queer person deserves to have joy in their life. Everyone’s trying to take that away from us, and I think it’s easy for those voices to get in people’s heads, and I just want everybody to know that you deserve to be joyful in your queerness.”

LJ Ferris
Senior, studio arts major