On Wednesday, February 10th, the College Nine and Ten Multipurpose Room was transformed into a theater, rich with a 14-foot, specially constructed forest on stage that would set the scene for the play Accept Except LGBT NY.

The eye-opening play addressed the lives of two LGBT and African American people, one from the past and the other from the present, who met at a tree after each was forced to flee from a mob. One character described his life as a freed slave at a time when being free didn’t allow many privileges and as a gay male at a time when being gay was too taboo for words, let alone actions. The other character described her life as a parolee, having been incarcerated for assaulting her supervisor after the latter used lesbian slurs and hate speech in the workplace. They remarked on how some things had improved for African Americans in the lapse between the days of slavery and today, like gay marriage and career options. However, they also noted the ongoing issues faced by African Americans, including high incarceration rates and a lack of true acceptance for LGBT folks. The characters fumbled through learning how to open up as well as listen to one another as they spoke across the generations.  

Accept Except LGBT NY marked an ongoing collaborative effort between the College Nine and College Ten CoCurricular Programs Office and the Cultural Arts and Diversity Resource Center (CADRC). The event was well attended by UCSC students and staff, as well as members of the Santa Cruz community.

CADRC director, Don Williams, led a lively discussion after the event. An audience member asked for tips on what to do about racial and LGBT inequalities. Mr. Williams turned the question back to the audience who shared that folks can make sure to know their rights as citizens, educate themselves on current struggles, and then use their education to speak up in the face of adversity.