Gay Pride celebration on campus
On June 7, the Life University Diversity Committee hosted a Gay Pride Celebration on campus. This celebration had a DJ, free ice cream, and two pride flags approximately the size of a standard piece of paper. There were t-shirts from gay pride parades from the area that have happened in past years. As I ate the free ice cream, (the best flavor,) with my very close friend who happens to be gay, we pondered what we saw. The event we were attending was neither gay, nor proud, nor a celebration. We discussed.
I have heard that a group called “Queers and Allies” tried to become a Life University club at one time, but was unsuccessful for reasons to which I am not privy. Had such a club been in existence during the planning of this event, I would hope the diversity committee would have used their input. However, since this club was not in commission at the time, the diversity committee had to seek help from an outside Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) group. While this was an excellent idea, they made contact too late for much assistance. Large advocacy groups such as the local group need a lot of advanced warning to help plan such events.
The DJ of the event did not play any of the standard gay-tunes. There was no Bette, no Barbra, no Cher, Madonna, Britney, and no Gaga! There was no traditional playing of “It’s Raining Men,” and there were no typical lesbian songs. Ultimately, the music wasn’t terrible, but did not make the event seem like much of a celebration.
As volunteers and members of the Diversity Committee passed out tickets for free ice cream, many students were baffled. Some were rather hesitant to participate in the celebration, as if eating ice cream would magically transform them into Richard Simmons. As someone who has eaten that ice cream, I can assure all of my readers that no unique transformations happened to me, with the possible exception of my thighs widening.
Publicity for the event consisted of fliers and email notifications. While this is the typical form of communication on campus, dreadfully few students actually read their emails. While the irresponsibility of students who do not check their emails is not the fault of the Diversity Committee, it is sad that many of the LGBT students at Life were not aware of the event.
Ultimately, the celebration could have been better. However, the effort was made, and that alone speaks volumes.
LGBT students are on our campus, there is no denying that fact. There are probably many who wish to come out about their sexuality but do not feel comfortable due to how very opinionated our student body can be. I propose that the Diversity Committee take the opportunity of “National Coming Out Day” to develop a well-planned celebration.
As a student body, we need to nurture each other and not tear each other down. While we may only mean to help, we tend to hurt each other with our words daily. Sometimes, the nicest thing we can say is nothing.
This October 11, I would love to see a true celebration of Gay Pride. Not because of any moral questions, but because our fellow students need to know they can be honest with themselves and with us. Life University has always been a safe place for everyone, and we need to ensure that everyone feels safe here, including our LGBT classmates, faculty, and staff.
