Spring is here! Got way too many houseplants? Hoping to swap your wilted fern for some hardy succulents? Planted too many starters this season and want to spread the love? New at gardening? Awesome! Join us for a plant swap where you can exchange houseplants, seeds, garden starters, tips and build community with other LGBTQ folks!

Contact Ezra at (831) 425-5422 or trans@diversitycenter.org with any questions.

Black & Pink Letter Writing Workshop
Saturday, February 20th | 12-2pm | SubRosa Community Space

Join us in SubRosa’s outdoor courtyard for a letter-writing workshop to support incarcerated LGBTQ+ folks. There will be plenty of space to gather while being COVID-safe.

We’ll be using the Black & Pink website to match folks with a pen pal that meets their criteria (and vice versa) to get you started.

Black and Pink is a nationwide organization that support LGBTQ+ inmates by pairing them with pen pals on the outside. Incarceration can be a brutal, lonely time for many—advocacy and kind words from a stranger can help!

To learn more or if you have any questions, please reach out to our Trans Program Coordinator Ezra at trans@diversitycenter.org.

Herbs for the Long Haul: Support for Stress, Grief & Loneliness during a pandemic with community herbalist Elliot Lloyd.

We'll explore simple ways to use plants, embodiment practices and local resources to get through a viral pandemic amidst social inequity. The class will center transgender and LGBQ+ folks. We strive to offer accessible, body-positive, trauma-informed and justice-minded tools for the resilience and survival of our communities. Contact trans@diversitycenter.org for the Zoom link & details!

Volunteers are needed! Contact Ashlyn at youth@diversitycenter.org for more information.

Carmilla premiered five years ago! Join us to watch the first season of this occult-classic live-action show, based loosely on the original 1872 novel. It stars plucky journalism student Laura, her grouchy vampire girlfriend Carmilla, and their skeptical non-binary friend LaFontaine. Costumes and wholesome snacks (especially cream puffs) are welcome!

Contact librarian@diversitycenter.org for questions.

Halloween Contra Dance. Costumes welcome. Gender-free folk dancing to live music, all dances will be taught and prompted. No experience or partner required. $12 general admission, $8 student admission.

PCS's gay straight alliance is hosting a festival of fun with LGBTQ+ influence and a smidge of education. Join us for activities, delicious food, local music, and a wonderful keynote address!

For more information, contact Andrea Roth at (831) 425-5422 or andrea.roth@pcsed.org

Community folk dance with live music. All the dances will be taught and called. No partner or experience required. Gender-free terminology used. Open band tonight.

For more information, visit http://www.santacruzdance.org.

The Diversity Center (in partnership with TransFamilies,The Boys & Girls Club, Santa Cruz Public Libraries, Queer Youth Task Force, and some AMAZING local authors and artists) wanted to invite you to our upcoming family-friendly storytelling session in the park on October 6th in celebration of the Paloma Medina and Audrey Ford’s “Looking for Marla” and other wholesome children’s books that celebrate gender diversity and the LGBTQ community! 

In case you’ve missed it—“Looking for Marla” is a book for educators, parents, youth and anyone wanting to learn about sex and gender diversity in nature and gender pronouns in a fun way. It tells the tale of a curious clownfish in transition as they find their way through fatherhood and into motherhood.

Join us for a storytelling session in the park, crafts, face-painting, snacks and meet with local organizations who provide culturally competent care to LGBTQ+ youth and their families.

For more information, email trans@diversitycenter.org.

Calling all LGBTQ game enthusiasts! Come to our first meeting and discuss what sort of games & activities we should explore as a group. Possibilities include: tabletop games, RPGs, video games, PC games, skill-based board games, and more! Bring your consoles, gaming supplies and join our discord server for further details. Hope to see all you gay-mers there!

For more information, contact Pasha Wrangell at itsupport@diversitycenter.org.

In honor of Black History Month, and in light of the most recent tragedy of the violent attack toward our black queer sibling Jussie Smollett, The Diversity Center is putting together a healing circle for our Queer & Trans People of Color community members. Please join us to show our solidarity with the black queer community. 

This event will center the stories of our black queer siblings to provide a space for healing, self-care, and an open discussion to share stories. We will be showcasing black queer media, create a listening circle, and share self-care tips with each other. We will end the night by practicing some of these self care tips to collectively start our own healing processes.  

We hope to see our beloved QTPOC community to simply be with each other's presence, to laugh or cry, or heal in any means necessary.

*Note: this is a closed QTPOC event.

Please contact MK Veniegas at operations.assistant@diversitycenter.org for any questions, concerns, or comments or call (831) 425-5422.

Event or Organization's Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/554031998440720/?notif_t=plan_user_joined&notif_id=1549224014084498