The Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity and the Queer & Transgender Graduate Student Union co-hosted their second annual Queer & Transgender Friendsgiving celebration in the MultiCultural Center’s Graduate Student Association Lounge on Nov. 22. The celebration aimed to create a supportive space for LGBTQIA+ students to commemorate Thanksgiving together.

Attendees conversed over food that included a selection of tacos, sides and pies. Iris Guo / Daily Nexus

The event was attended by 33 students, and spanned from 6:30-9:00 p.m. Attendees were served a taco bar with tortillas, Mexican rice, beans, chicken, salsas and three types of pies.

The Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity (RCSGD) Graduate Advisor, Nora Wolcott, a molecular, cellular, and development biology doctoral candidate, organized the event with Elena Mailander, a history PhD student. Wolcott and Mailander said that the event was open to all students, but was especially intended to help graduate students find a sense of community during the holiday season and post-elections.

“I think that grad students always need more queer spaces. Compared to undergrads, it’s kind of harder to find community,” Wolcott said. “With the holidays coming up and given the state of the nation, people are feeling some stress, so I thought this could be a nice place to kind of alleviate that.”

The event allowed undergraduate students and graduate students to connect in a unique environment by facilitating conversations over a shared meal.

“The best part about this event is seeing the community,” said Nathaniel Calilung, a third-year history of public policy and law major. “As an undergrad, I feel as though my only interactions with grad students are limited. So being able to sit down with people who not only have more experience in academia at large but also have such developed ways of being, knowing, being queer and trans, and just being themselves in adulthood and post-grad — it’s really beautiful.”

Sierra Klier, a molecular, cellular, and development biology PhD student, was able to get acquainted with new people at the event. 

“A lot of these people are people I have known for years, and I met a couple new people which is nice,” Klier said.

Matthew Dupree, a computer engineering PhD student, enjoyed his time at the event and felt more connected to the LGBTQIA+ community. 

“I felt a sense of community that I don’t find in many of the other programs,” Dupree said.

Mailander reflected on the sense of belonging the event offered. 

“It’s also really nice for grad students who might not have a supportive family, for instance, around the holidays. This is a really good community for everyone to come together and support each other, and celebrate in a way that maybe they won’t be afforded if they went home,” she said.

Mailander said she hoped the event would foster gratitude and support among UCSB’s LGBTQIA+ community. 

“We call this event Queer Friendsgiving and it’s like, we’re just so thankful for our queer friends. It’s a nice space to celebrate that, and to enjoy a good meal with our wonderful community,” said Mailander.