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Alma Rosa Silva-Bauelos speaks during a LGBTQ conference November 5, 2014. 

Alma Rosa Silva-Bauelos speaks during a LGBTQ conference November 5, 2014. 

LGBTQ center's director working toward Albuquerque's future

Alma Rosa Silva-Bañuelos is the founding director of the LGBTQ Resource Center for UNM and the recipient of the Stonewall Achievement Award from the Albuquerque Pride Board for her work and devotion to the LGBTQ community.

She said she was “honored and humbled” to be recognized while keeping her emphasis local.

“It is my obligation, challenge and duty to make sure that we do not forget where we came from as a movement and as a people,” she said.

Born and raised in Albuquerque, Silva-Bañuelos maintains her focus on future generations. 

“I do this work selflessly. It’s not for me. I do it for our community because I know where I came from, but I didn’t have this kind of support. So I want to make sure that young people have this support and do not feel that they have to hide who they are," Silva-Bañuelos said. "We can be our whole authentic self in this life, still follow our dreams and be successful.”

After graduating from UNM, Silva-Bañuelos stayed committed to Albuquerque and allowed her community organization background and a passion for social justice fuel the drive toward a more accepting future.

While demand outweighed supply for LGBTQ resources on campus, Silva-Bañuelos took the reins and cultivated the department "from a program, a student movement and a rainbow seed that was planted in this basement six years ago”.

The LGBTQ Resource Center has since flourished, with services such as counseling, free and anonymous HIV testing, an LGBTQ-focused library, computer pods, a student lounge, universal bathroom, training, events and much more.

Cassandra Dickerson, a student program assistant working in the LGBTQ Resource Center, understands the strides made by Silva-Bañuelos to push through adversity.

“People expected the effort to peter out, but she didn’t give up. She kept at it. As a result of her efforts, we are still here,” Dickerson said.

Silva-Bañuelos has built and developed relationships with other departments and organizations while maintaining a safe haven for students.

“We’re building an environment that fosters leadership and academic success,” she said.

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Compared to other resource centers on campus, the LGBTQ Resource Center is young, but the movement across country began before the Stonewall riots.

Silva-Bañuelos refers to a "state of emergency for trans people," as stated by the president and CEO of the TransLatina Coalition, Bamby Salcedo.

“I take that very seriously, and the Stonewall Achievement award helps me bring light to the fact that we are not done,” Silva-Banuelos said. “We are part of the fabric of this University and we have been, we are now and we will continue to be.”

In her first year as director, Silva-Bañuelos was able to secure a grant to begin suicide prevention programs aimed specifically at LGBTQ individuals at UNM, but she is quick to bring attention back to the bigger picture.

“I just helped keep building and growing the momentum of student leadership, and I have built and grown a wave. This wave is rippling across campus,” she said.

UNM is still one of the top 30 best colleges in the nation for LGBTQ students, according to bestcolleges.com.

Silva-Bañuelos attributes her strength to learning from various leaders including her mother, who graduated with two master degrees from UNM. She has also been motivated by LGBTQ ancestors, professors at UNM and, lately, activists from Palestine and Puerto Rico, she said.

"They inspire me at a core level. I just bring all of that good and powerful work here to the university and the LGBTQ community," she said.

Sarah Trujillo is a reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.

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