TCNJ

36 The College of New Jersey Magazine with nearly 450,000 followers. "I want people to be able to have the language to think about the world around them, not just from a queer lens but from an intersectional lens," Riddick says. PRISM President Jay Huang '23 quickly sought out the group after transferring to TCNJ in 2020, hoping it might offer a path toward a tight- knit community. It did, anchoring Huang 's life on campus but also inspiring Huang — who identifies as nonbinary and uses they/them pro- nouns — to pursue a leadership role in the organization so other students might see themselves represented. "I didn't grow up seeing myself in a lot of places," they say. "I saw Asian stereotypes. The organization still mixes cultural outreach with educa- tion, hosting campus events such as Gay Bingo and Queer Ball alongside the "Coming Out Monologues," a sto- rytelling celebration in which students share their personal experiences. Izzy Riddick '23, PRISM's vice pres- ident, hopes the social occasions encourage a wider range of students to feel comfortable attending its more thought-provoking programs that combine gender, race, and sexuality topics. In the last few years, PRISM has led roundtable talks about Black queer history, and hosted guest lectures from Brea Baker, a nationally known racial and gender justice activist, and Kat Blaque, an illustrator, transgender woman, and YouTuber 40% Decrease in suicide risk when LGBTQ youth have acceptance from at least one adult 23% Lower odds of suicide attempt when youth learned about LGBTQ issues at school Kevin Wong builds trust.

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