Members of the Central Oregon Community College’s graduating class of 2023, as well as faculty and staff, filed toward a stage set up at the college’s Mazama Field on Saturday for

commencement, many of them bedecked in Pride flags and other regalia in support of the LGBTQ+ community.

The show of support was a response to the school’s commencement speaker, U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Happy Valley, the first Republican Latina to represent Oregon’s 5th district — and a politician who students and faculty believe has a history of transphobia and supporting anti-LGBTQ+ policy.

Chavez-DeRemer, who was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022, co-sponsored House Resolutions 5 and 734. HR 5 would require schools to consult parents before allowing students to change their gender marker or name, while HR 734 would alter Title IX so women are classified by their sex.

As students and staff took seats and guests settled in to watch their loved ones graduate, COCC president Laurie Chesley, began the ceremony by mentioning the debate surrounding the school’s decision to invite Chavez-DeRemer to speak.

“I also want to declare that in the midst of this year’s commencement debate, there should be no doubt that members of the LGBTQ2+ community are welcome at our college. COCC staunchly supports equal rights and opportunities for all members of our community,” Chesley told the audience.

When Chavez-DeRemer took to the podium, her speech focused on her experiences growing up and then attending California State University in Fresno where she majored in business. She was the first person in her family to graduate from college.

As Chavez-DeRemer spoke, many of the students sitting directly in front of the stage placed pride flags in front of their faces, or closed their eyes in protest.

Chavez-DeRemer, whose speech was not controversial, didn’t say anything that stirred the audience to heckle or boo.

“As a mother of twin daughters who are now forging their own paths in the world, I know that graduation is a unique time that’s filled with a lot of emotion — a lot of excitement and joy,” Chavez-DeRemer told the crowd. “But you might also be feeling some anticipation as you look ahead to what the future has in store. My advice to you is simple: for today, try to stay in the moment. Give yourself a break, and enjoy your special day.”

Chavez-DeRemer said it is hard work that will lead to realized dreams, and in her case to the halls of the U.S. capitol. She recalled taking her first job as a young girl in California to pay for a cheerleading uniform, which her parents could not afford.

“So my girlfriend and I took that first job we could find, packing peaches,” Chavez-DeRemer said. “After the first day, my friend took her bag, went home, and she said, ‘I’m never doing this again.’ And she went and got a job as a cashier. But I stayed on for the whole summer and finished the job. I worked 16-hour days. After that, I knew that for the rest of my life, I had to follow the simple principle: If I wanted something, I needed to work hard.”

After her speech, Chavez-DeRemer was in a hurry to catch her flight back to the nation’s capital.

“I wish I had more time to spend to visit,” Chavez-DeRemer told The Bulletin. “But it is a great day. That is how I feel. It is a good day to be here and represent everybody. And I am glad they (the college) have open arms for every community that is part of the district.”

Jenn Kovitz, the director of marketing and public relations for the college, said the school decided to invite Chavez-DeRemer because she is a precedent setter in the state, and said the invitation was not an endorsement of some of her more controversial views. Kovitz also acknowledged the school could have placed more consideration on the decision.

“The college has definitely apologized for both the process and for selecting anyone who might be polarizing,” Kovitz said. “One of the criticisms about commencement from those who opposed the speaker is that commencement is not a dialogue. And I think they (the students) made it a dialogue today. They seized that and talked back, and that is part of a community college, seizing on these opportunities to talk truth to power.”

After the ceremony, students and staff mingled with their family members and friends for a post-commencement reception.

Kathy Smith, a math professor at COCC, wore a rainbow scarf in support of her students and the LGBTQ+ community. She said she was proud of how respectful the student protest turned out, but said she witnessed her students in distress after finding out Chavez-DeRemer would speak.

“These last few weeks of the term, when it is usually kind of a big celebration, a big contingent of our students were feeling hurt and concerned, some for their own safety,” Smith said. “So, we (faculty and staff) wanted to make it clear that we want it to be, and we will work to make it that way. And we will work to be a part of the decision making process in the future.”

Smith said the problem with having Chavez-DeRemer as the commencement speaker is because of the lack of dialogue in the situation.

“She (Chavez-DeRemer) was given a platform and people were there to listen to her. And I think part of the exchange of ideas is having time to ask questions. Having time to engage, and this was not an engagement thing. She was invited to come here, in the fall during the election time, by our LGBTQ+ club, she was invited to come and she declined. That would have been an opportunity for dialogue,” Smith said.

Marichelle Gurski, 27, of Bend, who graduated from the college in 2020, came to stand with her friends for commencement and in support of the LGBTQ+ community.

“It is so heartwarming for me to see my professors and see my colleagues and my peers show up for our community and show that hate has no place here,” Gurski said. “When someone supports anti-trans bills it supports the violence when children are outed to their families. This violence is not acceptable and it cannot be separated from the bills that are passed by these legislators.”

Gurski said she was at the commencement ceremony in her mother’s memory who recently died. She recalled something her mother always told her.

“When you are the safe person, you need to show up for the people that are unsafe,” Gurski said.