LGBTQ+ Committee Fosters Inclusivity on CNM Campuses

CNM has always prided itself on being an inclusive college, welcoming students from all walks of life. Regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation, CNM strives to make every student feel supported and appreciated as they pursue their educational and career goals.

The LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee, made up of faculty and staff, was formed in early 2018 as an effort to help establish a more robust system of support and resources for LGBTQ+ people at CNM.

“UNM has an incredible LGBTQ+ Resource Center and we wanted to kind of mimic that here,” says Brian Rasmussen, sign language interpreter and member of the LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee. “We want our community at CNM to know that they have a support system here.”

In conjunction with the unofficial LGBTQ+ student group, “CNM Q-Cats,” the Advisory Committee has made many changes across our campuses to accommodate and support LGBTQ+ folks, including safe zone trainings, providing gender-neutral bathrooms, Trans 101 trainings, and working to implement correct/preferred name changes.

This year, for the first time, the LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee partnered with Southwest Care to bring HIV testing to CNM’s Main Campus during CNM’s annual Health and Wellness Fair.

But that’s not all. Committee member and full-time instructor Elizabeth Bennett designed and taught the first ever Queer Studies course at CNM through the School of Communication, Humanities & Social Sciences (CHSS).

“The Advisory Committee has achieved a lot, in a very short time, in implementing practices that support and engage our LGTBQ community at CNM,” says the Committee Chair Erica Barreiro, also the dean for CHSS. “I’m really excited that we have so many people at CNM that are passionate about the ways in which we can be more inclusive in our educational practices.”

In addition to all the recent progress put forth by the LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee and CNM Q-Cats, CNM will have a strong presence at the upcoming Albuquerque Pride Parade on June 8.

In order to become a sanctioned student organization, CNM Q-Cats are in need of more student members. For more information on how to join, contact Brian Rasmussen.

Learn more about QCNM.