CCSF is currently operating on a remote basis and buildings are not accessible at this time. During this time, Student Affairs are modifying services to be able to continue to support you remotely. For college wide updates, please read COVID-19 Updates and Plans to Return to Campus. Visit the CCSF Virtual Campus to find information about our remote services.

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City College of San Francisco logo LGBTQ+ pride colors

The Queer Resource Center fosters a safe space on campus for LGBTQI+ students to work on their personal educational goals in a safe and discreet environment. Our goal is to empower students by providing resources that specialize in the needs of our diverse Queer CCSF community.

Students can utilize the space for studying, printing, access to our food shelves. The QRC hosts events focused the personal enrichment and education reflecting the lived experiences of San Francisco's LGBTQI+ community. Please contact us if you have any questions or if you would like to see how you can become involved at the QRC!

Mission Statement

The Queer Resource Center (QRC) seeks to empower the lives of LGBTQI+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Questioning and Allies) students at CCSF by uniting the diverse individuals in the community across gender, race, age, and economic standing, religion, and disabilities. The QRC provides access to a support system of peers and allies to strengthen the networks of LGBTQI+ students at CCSF. In addition, the QRC acts as a center of education for and about the queer community through peer-led teachings, workshops, sexual health education and linkage to community resources.

News

03/26/2021

The Queer Resource Center would like to acknowledge the widespread impact of the transphobic legislation being passed and signed into law in numerous states in recent weeks. The Queer Resource Center unequivocally condemns any and all denial of biomedical transition-related care to trans, nonbinary, gender non-conforming, two-spirit, and questioning people regardless of age, and reaffirms our commitment to serving and uplifting these communities on- and off-campus. We further condemn any and all attempts to remove trans, nonbinary, gender non-conforming, two-spirit, and questioning people from public life, including in the form of sports bans. Above all, we value the agency and autonomy of all marginalized people of all ages and genders, and especially that of children and youth. To learn more about the states attempting to pass anti-trans legislation please visit the links below from the  HRC website: 

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson Signs Anti-Trans Sports Bill
These Are The States Attempting to Pass Anti-Trans Health Care Bills

The science is clear on this issue: supporting trans and nonbinary youth, including through puberty blockers and other avenues of social, legal, and biomedical transition, is essential for any thriving community.  It is with extreme sadness that we receive news of these bills and we extend our support to trans and nonbinary youth in over twenty states who now must face the abhorrent possibility and reality of seeing their rights stripped away and their self-expression and ability to transition denied. We condemn all iterations of this legislation, and offer our time, energy, and solidarity in fighting this injustice.

Outside of the legal implications for trans and nonbinary youth in these states, we understand the extreme pain, stress, and trauma that this news may bring up for California-based trans students, faculty, staff, or other community members who may have had similar experiences. Denial of medical care or access to the public sphere is never acceptable, no matter what excuse is given for that denial. At the QRC, we remain dedicated as always to supporting trans, nonbinary, gender non-conforming, two-spirit, and questioning students and community members. 
If (in light of this troubling news or for any other reason) you are in need of emotional support, we encourage you to reach out to us. Our office hours are always open to you. We would especially like to highlight two resources at your disposal: Student Health Services and the T-House.

Student Health Services offers free mental health counseling to registered CCSF credit students in the form of virtual psychotherapy and personal counseling appointments. Please visit their homepage for more information or to schedule an appointment, should you need or want professional support. It is not uncommon for news like this to bring up echoes of past traumas or painful experiences, and you deserve compassion and support as you navigate this news.

Access CCSF free mental health services

If your need for support is more informal, our weekly transmasculine community space, the T-House, will be reimagining upcoming events in light of this news. We will be restructuring our upcoming Trans Week of Community. During the first week of April, we will be dedicating our office hours to community care. We will be rescheduling the events originally intended for that week to the following week, and an updated schedule of events will be available on the T-House website in the coming weeks. Please email QRC@ccsf.edu if you would like to be in touch or make an appointment for support or services and visit the T-House webpage.

To trans youth and adults in our community: You are not alone. We at the Queer Resource Center, and members of the faculty and staff across campus, will always fight for your safety and right to thrive here at CCSF. We recognize your brilliance and your joy, and wish to uplift and center that in these difficult times, and especially in light of this troubling news.

Finally, we call upon cisgender allies and accomplices to join us in this fight. Trans and nonbinary people of all ages are valued members of this community, and we rely upon the support of our friends, coworkers, classmates, and loved ones in order to secure our fundamental rights. Trans rights are human rights, and it is beyond time that they are recognized as such.

Written by Charlie Garcia-Spiegel and signed by the City College of San Francisco Queer Resource Center Staff:  

Alia Gabrielle (She/They/Them)
Charlie Garcia-Spiegel (He/Him/His)
Dylan Freeman (He/They/Them) 
Juan Fernandez, QRC Coordinator (He/They/Them)

If your need for support lies beyond what we at the QRC or our colleagues at Student Health Services can offer, we  encourage you to seek support from your networks or from any of the resources below:

CUAV: 415-333-HELP (4357)
Dimensions Clinic: 415-934-7717
Gender Spectrum
LGBTQ Psychotherapists of Color
LYRIC: 415-703-6150 x100
National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network
Oakland LGBTQ Community Center: ​510-882-2286
SF LGBT Center: 415-865-5661
Trans Lifeline: 565-8860

Student Emergency Fund Application

The purpose of the Student Emergency Fund is for students to apply for the funding towards emergency related situations to include rent and/or food insecurities, PG&E cutoff notifications, etc. The maximum amount the students can apply for is $500 and it is a once in a lifetime grant. Please see additional criteria below:

  • Must apply for financial aid by completing the FAFSA online or DREAM Act online
  • Demonstrate Financial Need
  • Be classified as a California Resident by CCSF Admissions & Records Office.
  • Enrolled in at least 9 units at CCSF; 6 units for those participating in DSPS
  • Complete Student Emergency Funds Application
  • Must meet Academic Standing Standards of 2.0 cumulative GPA and complete 50% of all units attempted at CCSF.
  • Submit a typed personal statement explaining your financial hardship/extenuating circumstance
  • Submit a comprehensive Student Education Plan
  • Faculty, Administrator or Staff Recommendation Form
  • Has not previously received the Student Emergency Funds.
  • Provide supporting documentation of the emergency, i.e. rent insecurities- proof of eviction notice, gas/electric 24 shut off notification, death of a parent/spouse, food insecurities, etc.
LGBTQ+ Academic Counseling Office

Hello! I’m CCSF Counselor Rico Gelera from the LGBTQ+ and Academic Counseling office in Cloud 207!

I identify as a gay/queer cis gender male raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, however, I also lived in NYC for 16 years. I am a CCSF “out” academic counselor located in the LGBTQ+ and Academic Counseling office in Cloud 207 and I work in partnership with LGBTQ+ counselor Monica McCarthy. I am the liaison to the LGBT Studies department and work closely with Dr. Ardel Thomas and instructor Breana Hansen. I also work closely with Juan Fernandez, coordinator of the Queer Resource Center. We all work as a team to support our students, especially our LGBTQ+ students! 

LGBTQ+ and Academic Counseling Office
Cloud Hall 207 – Ocean Campus
Schedule an appointment:
Please request Counselor Rico Gelera
Email AcademicCounseling@ccsf.edu 
or Phone 415-239-3302

Hi, I am Monica Mc Carthy and I am an identified lesbian, cis-gender academic counselor here at CCSF where I have worked for over 18 years.  I originally earned my associate degree from CCSF back in the 1990’s and while I was a student here I was a member of the CCSF  gay and lesbian student club then called  (GALA).  During that time I was awarded a scholarship to travel to the 1993 March on Washington for LGBT rights.  At that time, I had just come out and the power of being surrounded by hundreds of thousands of queer people standing up for their rights in Washington DC was transformative.  It helped to solidify a desire to be an Out voice for LGBTQ+ rights.   After some academic ups and downs, I eventually transferred from CCSF to SFSU to obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and then went on to complete my Master’s in College Counseling.  My goal was always to return to CCSF to work with students who had also experienced academic struggles, especially LGBTQ+ students.   I am a firm believer in the wisdom of Harriet Tubman, “Every great dream begins with a dreamer.  Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”  It is within this framework that I seek to embolden students to believe in themselves and the goals they hold close to their hearts, and to believe that anything is possible with right intention and right support.

My spouse and I have been together for almost 25 years. We are raising three teenage sons, have a dog and a messy chaotic life that we love.

For appointment email and ask for appt with Monica: academiccounseling@ccsf.edu OR make appointment through ESARS. 

Academic Departments

Women's and Gender Studies Interdisciplinary Studies