October is National Bullying Prevention month and Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transsexual and Queer history month. According to presenter Dr. Heath Adam Ackley, these are not new issues.

In honor of the history month, an event was held Tuesday, Oct. 13 to raise awareness for the people that struggle to accept themselves within the LGBTQ community due to religious organizations.

About 30 students and staff attended as credit for a class, or because they wanted to educate themselves on the subject.

Ackley told the class that he was a part of the LGBTQ community and a big activist.

He referred to it as LGBTQI. He informed the class that the I in LGBTQI stands for intersex, a person born with patterns that don’t fit the definition of a male or female.

In his lecture, he explained how there were different terms that people choose to use to define themselves within the community.

He showed how a person’s belief can hinder their ability to not only accept themselves, but to gather up the courage to “come out” to their loved ones.

When it comes to religious people supporting the community, people choose not to because their religion doesn’t support it.

He said that “In both cases we’re dealing with people who are discriminated against, are often rendered homeless, close to suicide, have their educational funding taken away by parents, all for being LGBTQI.”

He went into further detail by saying, “Most often almost without exception, they come from conservative christian homes.”

In the lecture, he said that LGBTQI has dated back to the bible days.

In the bible, he referenced how Adam, the first man, didn’t become known as a man until Eve, the first woman, was created.

The idea that men were created to be with women, he saw as debatable because there were stories that described some people as being attracted to the same sex.

Ackley said that if LGBTQI people believed those religious views then they would actually be afraid not so much for themselves going to hell, but the person they love going to hell.

By the end of the lecture, students and staff were able to see things in a different light when it came to religion’s disapproval of the community.

Robert Madueno, a Cerritos College student, explained that he didn’t share the condemning religious views.

He expressed that he was more accepting of the LGBTQI community and said, “I would like to see more of the websites showing gay people in different societies.”

Another student Kassandria Villa, who is also a member of the community, said that “She loves how Indonesia is now accepting people in the community.”