Out and Proud Series
The Out and Proud Series presents the largest opportunity for community visibility on the UC San Diego campus. It is a time for reflection on the achievements of LGBTQIA+ identified students, staff, faculty, and our allies. It is also a time for public awareness and discussion of current LGBTQIA+ issues on the state and national levels.
This year, the UC San Diego LGBT Resource Center’s Out and Proud Series will take place April 13-24, 2026 (Weeks 3 and 4 of Spring Quarter). This two week series will consist of programming focusing on the theme “Becoming a Spark: Weathering Storms Together” in order to bring awareness to LGBTQIA+ issues during challenging times, strengthen our connections to each other across intersectional lines, and inspire hope through action.
Our student staff has identified the following areas of impact to consider: Collective Organizing, Activism and Social Justice, Self-care, and Adaptability.
Out and Proud Series 2026 Calendar
Events are open to all!
What Does LGBTQIA+ Healing Mean in a Heteronormative Context?
Hosted by: Critical Gender Studies Department
Monday, April 13th | 1-2:30 PM | LGBTRC
Come join CGS for a discussion on what healing can mean in today’s context! Ask questions, hear others’ perspectives, and be part of a meaningful dialogue. Plus, we’ll have goodie bags for attendees!
TAP in: Workplace Survival Guide
Hosted by: UCSD Trans Alumni Panel
Monday, April 13th | 4 - 5:30 PM PST | Virtual: Zoom Link
The UCSD Pride Alumni Council offers you the opportunity to TAP in with our Trans Alumni Panel! Join us on Zoom for an hour and a half as we talk about what it’s like transitioning in the workplace, the experience of trying to navigate the job search as a trans person, and answer your questions about moving through the professional world as a trans or gender non-conforming person. We’re excited to see you there!
Custom Pins and Stickers Workshop!
Hosted by: LGBTRC x Grad & Family Housing
Monday, April 13th | 5-7 PM | Nuevo East, Exchange Building 2nd Floor - Conference Room
You're invited to come make your own custom button pins and stickers at our workshop!
Socialize with your fellow grad student residents as you make pins to showcase and celebrate your identity, expression, and interests. Materials will be provided first-come, first-served while supplies last, but please RSVP so we can prepare supplies accordingly!
Affirming Femininity Workshop
Hosted by: STRIDE
Monday, April 13th | 5-7 PM | LGBTRC
This program will teach students that makeup can be feminizing and empowering for anybody! Kaylie Camacho (a UCSD undergrad) will be joining as a MUA, teaching students about feminizing makeup techniques and tips, how to find the right makeup for their skin type, as well as finding cheaper alternatives to expensive makeup products!
Staff Lunch and Craft
Hosted by: Pride Staff Association
Tuesday, April 14th | 12-1 PM | Geisel Library, Seuss Room
This event will take place at the Geisel Library in the Seuss Room with the goal of celebrating, reconnecting and sharing in community and reflection. The event will feature crafts, shared stories, safe space and good company. All staff members of UC San Diego and UC San Diego Health Sciences are welcome.
We’ll bring the crafts and some snacks to share — bring your lunch and come hang out and let's get creative.
Ground Zero in the Culture Wars: An Overview of Rising Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws in Public Education and the Status of Connected Challenges in Federal Courts
Hosted by: UCSD Pride Alumni Council
Tuesday, April 14th | 5-6 PM | Virtual: Zoom Link
This lecture will provide an overview of the many anti-LGBTQ+ laws and policies emerging in public education today. While exploring each, attendees will also learn about the status of their challenges in federal courts. The lecture will discuss in greater detail the legal questions before the U.S. Supreme Court currently as well as those anticipated in the near future.
Care Fair
Hosted by: STRIDE x LGBTRC
Wednesday, April 15th | 11 AM - 1 PM | CCC Comunidad
STRIDE (Services for Trans, Intersex, and Gender Diverse Experiences) presents our Spring 2026 Care Fair. The Care Fair is a time for STRIDE and community partners to come together and share the resources we collectively offer to gender expansive students. The Care Fair event is a space for students to learn about different holistic resources and approaches to care that can enhance their gender euphoria, connection to community, and promote self-actualization, boosting overall well-being.
Pride Craft Session
Hosted by: Alpha Omicron Pi
Thursday, April 16th | 3:30-4:30 PM | LGBTRC
Members can create pride-themed crafts such as bracelets and paintings while learning about the importance of inclusivity and supporting the LGBTQ+ community. This event will provide a relaxed space for creativity and conversation in order to build a more welcoming chapter environment.
Paris is Burning Movie Screening
Hosted by: SPARk
Thursday, April 16th | 6:30-8:30 PM | LGBTRC
Join SPARk for a screening of Paris is Burning, a movie about ballroom culture and the struggles of queer and trans people. We'll have a discussion about the movie afterwards. Snacks provided!
Hot and Haute: a Trans Fashion Extravaganza
Hosted by: LGBTRC
Friday, April 17th | 12 - 2 PM | LGBTRC
To celebrate transgender community during “Out and Proud", the LGBTRC will be hosting a gender-affirming clothing swap, drag makeup station, photoshoot, clothing upcycling, and fashion show.
Join us to get free fidget toys and plushies! Participants can exchange clothing, accessories, and style pieces in a welcoming space designed to support gender exploration and expression. The evening will feature a community runway, photographers, and a playlist of iconic Rupaul's Drag Race music and moments.
Yuri/Yaoi War & Art Trade
Hosted by: Multi-Identity Art Collective
Friday, April 17th | 4:30-7 PM | LGBTRC
Work in teams to propose your strangest, most outlandish yuri/yaoi ships, draw art of them and then debate against the other teams to prove whose ship is superior! May the best ship reign supreme!
Muir LGBTQIA+ Drag Brunch
Hosted by: Muir College
Saturday, April 18th | 11 AM - 2 PM | Mandeville Suite, 11th Floor Tioga Hall
The Muir College LGBTQIA+ LLC invites students to a vibrant Drag Brunch celebrating community, creativity, and self-expression. Enjoy a lively show featuring talented local drag kings and queens alongside student performers. Come together for great food, dazzling performances, and a welcoming space to celebrate LGBTQIA+ pride and artistry.
Gender Bite: Lavender & Lesbians
Hosted by: Women's Center
Monday, April 20th | 1 - 2 PM | Women's Center
U-haul over to the Women’s Center on Monday, April 20th from 1-2pm for our Gender Bite on lesbian communities, cultures, and contributions to social change! We will discuss intersectionality, lesbian activism, as well as symbols and terminology associated with lesbians. Light refreshments will be provided, along with the chance to win lavender socks and a “Lavender Menace” pin!
Attendees will be entered in a raffle for a Goodie Basket at the end of the quarter.
Marsha's Place Dough-nation Drive
Hosted by: STRIDE x LGBTRC
Monday, April 20th | 3 - 4:30 PM | LGBTRC
Come support the LGBTRC and STRIDE's gender affirming care closet (Marsha's Place) with donations of clean and gently used clothing and accessories or new makeup, nail polish, and personal care items.
Zine Making and Ancestor Work
Hosted by: APIMEDA Programs and Services
Monday, April 20th | 3 - 4 PM | Marshall College Advocacy Space, 1st Floor Coalition Building
Write zine letters/spells to your ancestors and imagine healing through an intergenerational lens!
Student Initiated Project: Travesti Tuition (An exploration of the journey of trans women in higher education)
Hosted by: Cross-Cultural Center
Monday, April 20th | 4:00-5:30 PM | CCC Comunidad
An interactive, trans student led, research presentation on the barriers, struggles and sacrifices trans women (of color especially) face within higher education. The project aims to provide representation and create a greater sense of understanding amongst allies at UCSD as well as provide research and recommendations for actionable assistance.
Crafty Hour with CARE
Hosted by: CARE @ SARC x Craft Center
Monday, April 20th | 4 - 6 PM | The Craft Center
In honor of the LGBT Resource Center’s Out and Proud Series, CARE at the Sexual Assault Resource center is partnering with the UC San Diego Craft Center to provide a free workshop: Out and Proud: Crafty Hour with CARE. This event invites students to pause, connect, and engage in hands-on art making as a form of reflection and self-care. No artistic experience is necessary—just come as you are.
Drag Star Diaries: Stunt Workshop w/ Electra
Hosted by: Drag Club @ UCSD
Monday, April 20th | 5 - 7 PM | Galbraith Hall 320
Want to learn how to Stunt like a Diva? Join us in Galbraith Hall with SD Stunt Superstar: Electra! Whether you are learning to tumble for the first time, or want to practice your tricks; come in for an amazing time!
Queer Sex Ed
Hosted by: STRIDE
Tuesday, April 21st | 11 AM - 12 PM | LGBTRC
Historically, sexual education has been centered around abstinence and cisheteronormativity, excluding voices, identities, and bodies of queer and trans people. This presentation will discuss sexual education centering pleasure and joy for queer and trans people.
Beyond the Pages Book Club
Hosted by: Cross-Cultural Center
Tuesday, April 21st | 12 - 1 PM | CCC
The Beyond the Pages Staff Book Club seeks to create a space where UC San Diego staff can come together with fellow staff to read, discuss and learn from & with each other. Facilitated by the Cross-Cultural Center staff, we seek to uplift Black Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) authors, highlight stories that are often overlooked, and celebrate the tales of love, joy, struggle, survival, perseverance, family, friends, and community care.
Stonewall Sapphics: Rising Up Through Collective Art
Hosted by: WC x LGBTRC
Wednesday, April 22nd | 1 - 3 PM | Women's Center
Calling all sapphics! 🌈 Come be in community on Wednesday, April 22nd from 1-3pm with the WC and the LGBTRC. We’ll create collages for a collective art piece that will leave a mark on the Women’s Center. Heart carabiners will be available while supplies last, and light refreshments will be provided!
Attendees will be entered in a raffle for a Goodie Basket at the end of the quarter.
Cultivating Community: Queer Joy and Collective Power
Hosted by: Cross-Cultural Center
Wednesday, April 22nd | 3 - 4:30 PM | CCC
Students, staff, and faculty are welcome to join us for our quarterly social justice oriented community building event. We will engage in critical discussions to cultivate community across campus!
During Out & Proud Week, this special Cultivating Community gathering invites all students, staff, and faculty to celebrate queer joy, collective power, and the sparks of resilience that help our communities weather storms together.
Trauma Informed Tattooing: with artist hclou
Hosted by: APIMEDA Programs and Services
Wednesday, April 22nd | 3 - 5 PM | APIMEDA Programs and Services Office, 2nd Floor Price Center West
Tattooing is an ancient cultural art form. Design your own tattoo and learn about current trauma-informed tattooing epistermologies!
(Safer) Sex on the Beach
Hosted by: Studnet Health Services, Planned Parenthood Generation Action (PPGA), Health Promotion Services (HPS) & Wellbeing Peer Educators (WPEs), UCSD Women’s Center, CARE at SARC, and UCSD Student Health Advocates
Wednesday, April 22nd | 4 - 6 PM | ERC Green
Our collaborative event, “(Safer) Sex on the Beach,” brings together multiple campus partners, including PPGA, Health Promotion Services, the Women’s Center, CARE at SARC, and Student Health Advocates, to promote sexual health education in an engaging and supportive environment.
We plan to offer mocktails, informational tabling, and safer-sex resource distribution. The event aims to make conversations about sexual health more accessible and stigma-free for students. We hope to create a welcoming space where students can learn, ask questions, and access resources that support their well-being.
Waves of Wellness: Artist Alley and Sexual Health Resource Fair
Hosted by: LGBTRC
Thursday, April 23rd | 3 - 5 PM | CCC Comunidad
Join us for an afternoon of art and education at our sexual health resource fair and artist alley! Purchase merch from student artists, learn more about reproductive rights and wellbeing from other on-campus resources, and even make your own gamete (sperm & egg) and uterus plushies!
All participants will also get a chance to win an aquatic creature... we look forward to seeing you there!
Creativity through a Neurodivergent Lens
Hosted by: APIMEDA Programs and Services
Wednesday, April 23rd | 4 - 5 PM | Women's Center
Join us to dialogue about making art as a neurodivergent person, as well as how to navigate creative spaces/opportunities through a disability justice lens.
Inside Gender-Affirming Care: A Conversation with Healthcare Providers
Hosted by: STRIDE
Friday, April 24th | 11 AM - 12:45 PM | LGBTRC
This program offers UCSD students and faculty an accessible overview of the timeline and medical procedures involved in gender-affirming care, from the initial consultation to hospital-based steps in the transition process. A physician from UCSD Health specializing in primary care for gender nonconforming patients will join as a guest speaker, sharing practical insights in an informal setting while explaining key aspects of the medical procedures. The event promotes patient advocacy, fosters allyship, and equips participants with tools to support trans and gender-diverse communities on campus.
Magical Transformation: Exploring yourself through the world of art
Hosted by: Multi-Identity Art Collective
Friday, April 24th | 2 - 5 PM | LGBTRC
Discussing the "Magical Girl" genre through the lens of the transgender experience, and the value of original characters as a tool to express your identity.
Drawing Activity: Create a new OC or draw your existing OCs with magical flavor!
Open and Out Mic Night
Hosted by: LGBTRC
Friday, April 24th | 5 - 7 PM | LGBTRC
Come join us on April 24th from 5-7 for an open mic night! All performances, from music to stand-up to poetry readings, are welcome. If you're planning on performing, make sure to sign up with this link: forms.gle/f9PLXi3EzZw9phTK6
Refreshments will be provided!