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Loera explores gender identities and sexism

Daniel Loera, director of multicultural affairs, leads the Community Belongingness Lecture discussion about gender identities and sexism Tuesday in the Quay Davis Executive Board Room. Students and discussion facilitators come together every week for this lecture series to create a space of acceptance and community. / photo by Marina Bravo
Daniel Loera, director of multicultural affairs, leads the Community Belongingness Lecture discussion about gender identities and sexism Tuesday in the Quay Davis Executive Board Room. Students and discussion facilitators come together every week for this lecture series to create a space of acceptance and community. / photo by Marina Bravo

About 15 students attended this week’s Belongingness talk, which focused on gender identity and sexism.

The weekly event, headed by Daniel Loera, director of multicultural affairs, was held in the Quay Davis Executive Board Room. 

Loera briefly defined gender identity as an individual’s innermost concept of what it means to be cisgender, transgender or gender non-conforming. 

Sexism, he explained, is a system of prejudice that reinforces and maintains a complex structure in society towards gender identities. 

In three groups, students were categorized by their gender identity of female, male and non-binary.  

The group discussions were facilitated by Loera, Marquisha Frost, assistant vice president of inclusive excellence and missions integration, and Stacey Strickland, adjunct professor and diversity, equity and inclusion ambassador. 

Facilitators asked participants to share their own definitions of gender and gender roles. 

Jovanni Gaines, senior organizational management major, who participated in the event and identifies as nonbinary said that facets of identity such as sexuality and gender are often shaped by LGBTQ+ backgrounds. This can affect how someone sees themselves and how society views them, Gaines said.

“People sometimes don’t understand who we are, because we can go through the same things but experience it differently based on how we present ourselves,” Gaines said. 

“Being able to sit and talk as a diverse community and being respectful was nice,” said Simone Warren, senior criminology major, who participated in the discussion. 

—Cassidy Diaz

Other Stories Bio

Cassidy Diaz is a senior journalism major with a concentration in print and online journalism. She is also news editor for the Campus Times, and previously served as an assistant editor and a staff writer.

    This author does not have any more stories.
Other Stories Bio

Marina Bravo is a senior communications major with a concentration in public relations. She is arts editor and a staff photographer for the Campus Times, and has previously served as a staff writer and photographer for the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine. She enjoys going to live shows and everything spooky.

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