Finding a community can be difficult at a commuter-heavy campus like CSUN. For queer students – particularly lesbians and sapphic-identifying individuals – that challenge is often amplified by a lack of dedicated spaces tailored to their experiences. This semester, a newly established student organization is working to change that.
Lesbians and Sapphics at CSUN (LSC), founded by graduating senior Isabella Sahagun, officially launched during the Spring 2026 semester. What began as a joke on the anonymous campus app, YikYak, quickly transformed into a student-run club with dozens of members seeking connection, visibility and belonging.
“I just wanted a sense of community,” Sahagun said. “CSUN is a commuter school, so it’s already hard to make friends, but especially other queer friends.”
For Sahagun, founding the club felt deeply personal. “It means the world,” she said.
After coming out in August of 2025, she recalled going through that period without a support system. “I didn’t really have anyone to help me navigate through that. I like how this club can provide anyone with that, so that they don’t really have to go through what I did,” she said.
Within weeks, interests surged. The club’s Discord server now has nearly 90 members, with unofficial club “hangouts” drawing around 25 students at a time – a notable turnout for a brand-new organization.
For Communications Director Peyton Friedman, the club filled a gap she didn’t fully recognize at first. After Sahagun shared her idea, Friedman began reflecting on how queer spaces on campus often feel unintentionally exclusionary.
“A lot of queer spaces end up being more MLM-focused,” Friedman explained, referring to spaces centered around “men who love men.” “Queer women can feel pushed out, so we wanted to try to put a club on campus that was dedicated to that community.”
The club defines its membership broadly, welcoming CSUN students who are not cisgender men and are attracted to women. Transgender, bisexual and pansexual students are active members, reinforcing the club’s commitment to inclusivity while still maintaining its sapphic focus.
Beyond representation, the club prioritizes atmosphere. Meetings are designed to feel approachable, with plans for movie nights, game nights, study sessions and monthly hikes. Snacks, Sahagun noted, are always provided.
“A lot of our members have told us this is the first time they’ve met other lesbians or sapphics at CSUN,” Sahagun said. She mentioned how it can be especially meaningful for students who are living at the dorm or from out of state to have the chance to foster relationships within their own community.
The need for a space like this reflects the broader cultural tensions surrounding lesbian identity. Friedman pointed out ongoing stigmas and sexualization that persist both on and off campus.
“There’s still weird connotations around the word ‘lesbian,’” she said. “Some people don’t even like saying it, so I felt like it was important to have a space that just kind of celebrated that identity.”
However, that visibility has not come without pushback. Sahagun recalled receiving crude and sexualized comments online when she first posted about the club. Still, she said the response from students has overwhelmingly outweighed the negativity.
A striking aspect of the club’s growth has been its online community – members actively connect through the club’s official Discord, coordinating study sessions, attending campus events together and even organizing gym trips.
“It’s really cute to see all of these friendships forming online, and then when they show up to these hangouts, they have these bonds in place already,” Friedman said.
CSUN freshman Kimberly Altamirano said she first discovered LSC through social media, adding that she felt drawn to the space because “there weren’t really many places for, just lesbians or sapphics.”
Altamirano attended the club’s first informal hangout in the Oviatt Library, and despite feeling nervous beforehand, she described the atmosphere as immediately welcoming.
“It just felt like a group of people having a good time together,” she said. “Everyone was getting along, and it was really nice to see.”
As both Sahagun and Friedman prepare to graduate this semester, they hope the club will continue long after they pass the baton. Their message to students who feel hesitant about joining is succinct: you are not alone.
“I get it. I am so bad at going to that first club meeting because it literally is so overwhelming,” Friedman said. “But every single [meeting] has gone amazingly.”
She added that members do not need to attend any in-person meetings and are welcome to be a part of the community online as well. Altamirano admits that it can feel nerve-wracking to attend a club meeting for the first time, but she encourages prospective club members to push past that anxiety.
“You have to end up just putting yourself out there, if you want to get those, like, precious experiences from college,” she said.
Students interested in learning more about the LSC can find their official Instagram and a link to the club’s Discord in their bio.
