This post is from one of our wonderful community partners, TRANScend Youth. TRANScend Youth is a pending nonprofit focused on education, advocacy, and community building for transgender youth, by transgender youth. Through public speaking, community events, and online advocacy, TRANScend Youth hopes to build community and help create a better, kinder, and more educated world for young...

Written by Adriana Campos, a CSUCI student.

A person who is gender-fluid might identify as both male and female, or neither male nor female, or a combination of both genders. They might express themselves in different ways at different times or remain consistent in their gender expression and identity. Gender fluidity is a concept that is increasingly being discussed and accepted in...

This post was written by a CSUCI student, featuring artwork by Ellawyn Wood.

INTRODUCTION

"Machismo" in Spanish is a strong or aggressive masculine pride often associated with a man's role in a traditional family. Unlike a “quinceañera” which is a milestone for Latino girls in which they celebrate their transition from childhood to woman-hood, machismo is not celebrated at...

This post was written by a senior at CSUCI.

Throughout my high school (and the beginning of my collegiate) career, I was always concerned about dating. About the fact that I didn’t have a boyfriend, about the fact that boys acted like I didn’t exist unless I was accompanied by a pretty friend, about the fact that I wasn’t even completely sure of my sexuality or myself. 

...

The LGBTQ+ community suffers from high rates of substance use. Up to 30% of the LGBTQ+ community struggles with substance use compared to 9% of the general population. Why is this? Some factors include their experiences of bullying, hate, discrimination, stigmatization, rejection by those around them including their family and/or peers, isolation, and other extreme stressors. LGBTQ+...

I still do not understand what my gender is. I do not know if I am nonbinary, gender fluid, genderless or have a set gender. To be honest, I think it really depends on the day. Some days I feel more feminine, others I feel more masculine. It depends but I have no concrete label for it.

In my Instagram bio and all the other places that ask...

The above quote is from a member of Balboa Middle School’s Gay Straight Alliance, discussing bullying and being singled out for his appearance.

It’s possible that bullying has existed as long as humans have lived in groups. Perhaps it is our domineering, competitive nature that drives some to want power over and adoration from others. It seems like we are forever in one of three...

Information and resources from the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI).

Without mental health we cannot be healthy. We all experience emotional ups and downs from time to time caused by events in our lives. Mental health conditions go beyond these emotional reactions to specific situations. They are medical conditions that cause changes in how we think and feel and in our mood.

The...

Written by a Ventura County high school student.

I have always been curious about my sexuality. I never knew what I was, but I knew I liked girls and boys. I remember feeling tingly whenever I saw a beautiful woman or feeling a wave of shivers down my back whenever a gorgeous woman touched me. This would happen with guys too, but I always knew I liked the male gender. 

I think my...