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MONDAY, JUNE 12, 2023

VOLUME 117 ISSUE 36 Not officially associated with the University of Florida

Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida

LGBTQ Commissioners bring unique life experiences to local government COMMISSIONERS WILLITS AND ALFORD FOLLOWED UNUSUAL CALLS TO SERVICE IN A CITY THEY FEEL IS A SANCTUARY

By Jacob Sedesse Alligator Staff Writer

Chloe Hyde // Alligator Staff

Florida baseball sophomores Jac Caglianone and Blake Purnell give head coach Kevin O’Sullivan a Powerade bath after the Gators’ 4-0 win against South Carolina Saturday, June 10, 2023. Read more on pg. 11.

Gainesville City Commissioner Casey Willits and Alachua County Commissioner Mary Alford represent Gainesville as the only two elected officials in the county who are openly a part of the LGBTQ community. The two commissioners have followed contrasting paths to their positions today — both professionally and personally. Alford, the District 1 county commissioner, holds a special place in her heart for Gainesville — her hometown. She’s the oldest of nine children raised in a Mormon household, which shaped her heavily, she said. “I don’t want to say Mormonism sort of takes away some of your identity, but you are kind of molded into a thing,” she said. “It took me a while to realize I was something dif-

ferent than that thing.” She molded herself into an environmental engineer through many years in the local school system, working several jobs at a time. However, her busy lifestyle distracted her from developing her identity. “My mind was just totally focused on school and everything else, and at some point I was like, ‘I need to say who I am,’” Alford said. She came out as gay just two years before graduating with her master’s degree. She finished up school and went off to work in the power industry, where she worked for several years — often the only LGBTQ person and the only woman in the room. “I was out enough that I was asked to teach the diversity and inclusion classes for a bunch of people, but I didn’t make a big deal out of it because it was a very conservative environment,” Alford said. After facing health issues, she left the industry. She was diagnosed with cancer. The diagnosis forced her to soul -search and led her to the conclusion to quit working in power plants. Instead, she worked with her

SEE OFFICIALS, PAGE 4

Santa Fe’s LGBTQ Resource Center provides on-campus support

The center opened in 2021 By Nicole Beltrán Alligator Staff Writer

Santa Fe College senior Apoorva Bangalore Raviprasad, an astrophysics major, left India for the United States in 2022, feeling confused about how the future would unfold and struggling with her identity.

SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT UF men’s track and field wins title

Story description finish with comma, Florida track and field brings home pg# men’s national championship. Read more on pg. 11.

“I didn't know anybody or anything, and I wasn't even fully out yet,” Bangalore Raviprasad, 19, said. Bangalore Raviprasad finally found her peace at SFC’s LGBTQ Resource Center. The center opened in 2021, focusing on providing resources and support for LGBTQ students on campus.. Students can benefit

from assistance in mentorship and advocacy, to accessing technology and educational guidance. The center also helps students legally change their names and pronouns and offers a “queer closet” where students can donate or select clothing. “I spend almost every day there between classes,” Bangalore Raviprasad said. “It's a place that I feel like it’s my second home because it’s given me so much comfort.” Bangalore RaviprasadApporva has found friendship through social events and appre-

GAU student protest

The organization peacefully protest graduate housing, pg. 3

ciation of her community through volunteer activities as an active member at the center, she said. JoJo Sacks, the resource center’s specialist, oversees the center’s goals and fulfills her duties by assuring the center is a safe environment for students. As a member of the LGTBQ community herself, Sacks, 26, believes these spaces are crucial for students. “[In college] I really relied on the queer

SEE SANTA FE, PAGE 4

Affordable housing

Alachua Habitat for Humanity, Santa Fe College work together, pg. 5

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