Frustration overwhelmed social studies teacher Laura Honeywood as she contemplated which affinity space to attend, wishing for a place where she could connect to more than one part of her identity.

Now, thanks to the queer student of color lunches, students and teachers can explore numerous aspects of their identities in the Queer Student Union (QSU), located in room 334, on Mondays.

The queer student of color lunches began in May 2023. The space allows queer students of color to meet while also enjoying delicious food. The lunches were created as a result of a conversation between Honeywood, guidance counselor Sara Aggeler, social studies teacher Kate Leslie and junior Marcus Peng.

Honeywood assisted in creating these lunches because she wanted students to embrace their identities to the fullest.

“There was a lot going on last year where the Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) meets at the same time as the Asian Pacific American Club (APAC), Black Student Union (BSU) and Latinx Club, so you sort of had to pick an identity,” Honeywood said. “Picking which identity is most important to you feels really infuriating for some students, and for me, it’s actually just exhausting.”

Junior Sana Lai began attending the lunches because she thought it would be interesting to go to a space with people who share similar experiences to her. Following her participation, she recognized how the lunches aid in building community.

“When you are able to meet people who are like you, you can relate to their struggles or maybe not relate but you can still see their struggles,” Lai said. “I think it’s very interesting. There are so many different kinds of people in that space, but we are all under a certain kind of umbrella.”

According to Honeywood, another highlight of these lunches is that while they are diverse, many people have similar experiences, which builds strong bonds between students and teachers.

“It’s unifying to know we can be so different in some identities and then have such similar experiences in others,” Honeywood said.

Lai said she values the encouraging and welcoming environment of the queer student of color lunches.

“It’s very nice to not have someone go like, ‘Hey you should be this way or that way,’ but [rather have them] just accept you for who you are. It’s an accepting and supportive place,” Lai said.

Senior Priya Katari started going to the lunches last year. This year, she comes during second lunch, which typically has fewer people, but her favorite memory stems from the one time she managed to attend first lunch.

“There were a lot more people, so [I was able to get] a sense of the larger community and [hear] everyone share their stories. I really like hearing people talk about things that they’re interested in so that was really fun,” Katari said.

Lai said the lunch period provides her with the opportunity to meet and connect with new people.

“I met a couple of new people, but I think there was one in particular who I connected with, Tina Li. I’ve always heard about her over the announcements, and I liked meeting and seeing her,” Lai said.

Katari said she is very glad she has been able to participate in the lunches and would recommend them to all students.

“I would encourage other students to consider it as an option,” Katari said. “I realize it’s a bit out of the way depending on whether you’re at the freshman building or where your classes are, but it’s definitely something to consider.”