The Rainbow Youth Alliance, a group of teens and young adults advocating for safe and inclusive spaces, released their fourth edition of Let Me Be Perfectly Queer magazine in March.
The group is a part of the San Joaquin Pride Center in Stockton which offers a myriad of resources such as community events, training, counseling and more.
Any community member between the ages of 12 and 25 are encouraged to submit to the magazine or “zine”. Meetings occur every Monday evening from 5:30 to 6:30 virtually and more information is available through Youth Outreach Coordinator Diana Sandoval at dsandoval@sjpride.center.
Changing from edition to edition, topics range from mental health to music and self expression. There are also interactive sections such as water trackers, spaces to journal and coloring pages. Each zine has a glossary of LQBTQ+ terminology. The section comes with a disclaimer reading: “These are textbook definitions! Sexuality and gender is fluid and may have different definitions depending on how you feel.”
Sandoval admires the RYA participants because they are determined to make sure the zine is representative of the community and has inclusive language.
“There, of course, are always hard days, especially when you’re working with community and you’re trying to serve everyone and take care of everyone. But the one thing I always say to us when it’s a hard day is that we’re the people that we needed [when we were younger]. We’re the people that the youth now are able to go to.“
– Youth Outreach Coordinator Diana Sandoval (She/Her/Ella)
Hope Holmes appreciates the “candid” nature of the zine, the freedom to discuss and create on any topic and having an accessible third space.
“For a lot of people my age, we’re expected to find our own spaces, whether it be home or school, and expected to find solace there, but — when you’re in the same place every day and you never have anywhere to separate those extreme emotions and you’re feeling extremely high or low there’s nowhere to release the energy to besides school and work or school and home.”
– Hope Holmes, 17 (She/Her)
“It’s very friendly. It’s nice to meet other queer people and talk and just hang out. I’m sure there’s some people around me who are part of the LGBT community, but meeting people who are willing to talk about their experience and stuff is nice.”
– Milo Timmons, 17 (He/They)
Melissa Lopez was nervous at first about contributing to the zine, but said they reached a “flow state” while working on their spread and utlimately felt in tune.
“I think coming from Stockton, it’s a very hateful place. You don’t really see open spaces of love, and if it is, it’s typically portrayed in negative aspects of love, such as abuse — That’s a really big part of why I want to take a role here. Because everyone comes here, with their previous trauma, and we kind of get to unload and get guidance from everyone.”
– Melissa Lopez, 17 (She/They)
“It gives me the confidence to express myself like everyone else around me does, especially with how willing everyone is able to be themselves. And it also gives me the ability to work with other people. I like to help my fellow members design their spreads if they need it.”
–Reid, 18 (He/They)
Communications Coordinator Galilea Gonzalez reflected that when she was younger, she didn’t have access to a Rainbow Youth Alliance or GSA group until college, and wish she had.
“Seeing [community] happen, it makes me hopeful for future generations. Because if we’re showing kids now that they could be who they want and create things through things like the zine, that gives hope for future generations to become even better.”
– Communications Coordinator Galilea Gonzalez (She/Her/Ella)
The magazine is available digitally or in print at the San Joaquin Pride Center. Read the fourth edition below: