On Feb.25, a Lavender Initiatives meeting took place from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. The meeting discussed what being in an abusive relationship is like especially for the queer community. They also went over on what being in a healthy relationship should look like.
Before the meeting started lunch was provided for anyone who attended, and the meal provided was Chinese food.
Once everyone had their food, Kimy Salazar the manger for the program of Mental Health and Wellness, began the discussion about friendships and relationships during February. She discussed this due to it being around the time for Valentine’s Day, with also most couples likely to break up around this time.
After this discussion, the social worker interns came up to present a slideshow about victims of domestic violence. The interns had mentioned in the slideshow about different types of abuse in a relationship such as manipulation, constant criticism, and belittling. In the presentation they talked about how the LGBTQ+ community experience a higher rate, such as 22% of transgender and 34% for the lesbian women.
The interns later talked about four main points to have in a relationship or friendship, which are effective communication, boundaries, interdependence, and self-respect. These main points can be helpful for someone who is in high school or college especially since these are various stages of finding their identity.
Towards the end of the presentation, the interns created a game for the audience to play. The game was called green or red flag, they showed different scenarios and the audience needed to decide if it’s a red or green flag in a relationship.
After the game was over, they presented another game which was bingo. The game gave a chance for attendees to win a prize, even the interns played along. Overall, there were four winners.
After the meeting was over, attendees were able to collect a table full of LGBTQ+ freebies such as flags, stickers, and keychains. There was also an opportunity for them to grab flyers to look out for the upcoming events or meetings.