Sol y Luna is a new club at ASU for students of Hispanic and LGBTQ+ identities that helps bring a safe environment for those struggling with intersectionality.
Destiny Gutierrez, a junior studying nursing and psychology, and Sarah Espinoza, a junior studying nursing, had the idea to start the club. The two had been friends since high school and wished to create a space at ASU that represented their intersectional identities.
"There are queer spaces available (at ASU) and we did try to incorporate ourselves into that, but we always found ourselves still feeling a little outside," Espinoza said.
Espinoza said Sol y Luna was created to have a safe space for LGBTQ+ Hispanic students and to have a community that understood her experiences.
"We see a lot of value in the club," Gutierrez said. "Personally, I need a support system. Sometimes the Latino community can be ... a little close-minded."
Gutierrez said the club is a place where people can be themselves and not have to worry about it.
Another student involved in Sol y Luna is Alison Bolanos Pina, a sophomore studying Earth and space exploration. Bolanos Pina said the intersectional community was important to recognize because of the experience of LGBTQ+ students with different backgrounds.
"We give a space to other Hispanic students so that we can all have a space where we can share our experiences — growing up being Hispanic, growing up with the same cultures and facing what we are: queer," Bolanos Pina said.
Beyond being an understanding community, Sol y Luna is a place for students to get assistance and advice from peers and upperclassmen who have been in the same shoes.
"I would love to expand our club and have more Hispanic students so that we can have a sense of community and involvement with other people, to give them resources, to help with classes, or to help with their own mental well-being, and help them find friends with another sense of community," Bolanos Pina said.
The student organization held its first official event on Thursday, Sept. 26, in the new Community-Driven Archives space within Hayden Library in collaboration with The LGBTQ+ Club at Barrett. The function was called "Un Cafecito" and featured pan dulce and many rounds of lotería with several different tiers of prizes.
The Community-Driven Archives space is part of a broader Community-Driven Archives Initiative led by Nancy Godoy, the director and associate archivist. Godoy created the initiative to give communities a space filled with knowledge, empathy and equitable access, according to the Community-Driven Archives Initiative website.
"I came out almost 20 years ago when I was their age, and I think if I had a space like this … it's a really beautiful and healing moment for me," Godoy said.
Godoy said there was an obligation to help create a safe space for people and the initiative was made to help engage organizations, especially historically marginalized communities.
"As a queer Latina myself, I feel like it's important for me as a staff member to create a safe space for them to bring this group to life," Godoy said.
Edited by Senna James, Alysa Horton, Tiya Talwar and Natalia Jarrett.
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