Students unite to share their experiences of being LGBTQ or an advocate during Pride Week, formerly known as Proud to Be Out Week, which began April 8 and runs through April 16.
The LGBTQ Center has partnered with numerous organizations to present a wide range of educational and fun events for the University community centered on breaking stigmas and silence and supporting people who have been affected by LGBTQ issues.
With the events during Pride Week, the LGBTQ Center aimed to create an inclusive atmosphere for both LGBTQ identified people who are possibly closeted or who are out, as well as allies, Connor Roessler, a fourth-year College student and LGBTQ Center intern, said.
“We wanted … to really show what it’s like at the University and to show all the different experiences people have, because there is not one story of being LGBTQ,” Roessler said. “It is about showing everyone about inclusivity and about wanting people to be able to share their experiences, if they want to, or [to] learn about experiences if they have not had this.”
Shannon Khurana, a second-year College student and Queer Student Union vice president of student activism, summarized Pride Week as being “about coming forward and sharing moments and understanding.
“It’s about being proud as an [LGBTQ] identifier,” Khurana said.
The week began with Drag Bingo, which was hosted by QSU and featured prizes, music and a surplus of skittles. The Lambda Law Alliance, Pride at Darden, Queer Grads and qMD –– a medical student LGBT and ally organization, also held the LGBTQ Grad Mixer, a social gathering at the Pavilion Clubhouse.
Last Saturday, a panel called “Beyond the Binary” was held to discuss the issues facing non-binary gender community. The panel explored an array of topics ranging from how to support a non-binary friend to creating a more inclusive community at the University.
“I think a lot of times if you want to find the LGBTQ community here you have to do a little bit of searching,” Roessler, who was in charge of coordinating the week of events, said. “We’re kind of accessible but we want this week to be a statement of ‘here’s what we do’ and ‘here’s what we provide.’”
Monday will feature an event called “Let’s Get Brunch in the Q-munity” on the Lawn hosted by the LGBTQ Center, QSU and Sigma Omicron Rho — an LGBTQ, allied and gender inclusive fraternity. The event is part of an ongoing series offering catered brunch and community building.
“This one is more pride focused with the Queer Student Union and the SOR being co-sponsors,” Roessler said.
Later in the afternoon, the LGBTQ Center and the Virginia Department of Health will partner to offer free HIV testing as well as free safe sex materials and educational information. This event comes one day after National Youth HIV and AIDS Awareness Day.
“We love to have a health aspect to this week,” Roessler said.
On Tuesday, the LGBTQ Center will offer free Safe Space training in the LGBTQ Center. The event is open to the public and is aimed at creating better allies at the University.
Wednesday’s events feature two panels. The Queer Career Success panel, co-hosted by the University Career Center and the U.Va. LGBTQ Faculty and Staff Committee, will feature “LGBTQ identified people in the workplace to talk about some of their challenges and successes and tips for people who might be entering that workspace,” Roessler said.
Another panel titled “Queer Health Series: Queers of Color” will focus on “LGBT people of color [sharing] their experiences of mental wellness in the LGBT community and being of color,” Roessler said.
On Thursday, the QSU and SOR are co-hosting a pronouns workshop.
“The purpose of the pronouns workshop is about gender inclusive language,” Khurana said. “This is a skill that applies to everybody, so it’s welcome to everybody to come out and learn what are pronouns like today, how [to] use them, how [to] ask what to use.”
Friday is dedicated to a Day of Silence, a nationally recognized holiday which was started at the University and has now spread to schools and organizations across the nation.
The day is “a collective silence event to try to bring awareness to the issues that LGBTQ [people] face and are often silenced about,” Roessler said, “so it’s a lot about mental wellness and suicidality and being closeted and not being able to express that in order to bring attention to these issues.”
Later, Flux Poetry and the LGBTQ Center will co-host an open mic night called “Breaking the Silence: Using Our Voices through Poetry & Solidarity” which aims to encourage supportive dialogue of LGBTQ identifiers and allies.
Wrapping up Pride Week, students are invited to Pride Dance Night at Escafe Saturday. The event is hosted by the QSU and features free food and music.
“This week is here for everyone at the University, you don’t necessarily have to be LGBTQ identified,” Roessler said. “We love people who’ve never had an experience at the LGBTQ Center or with any of these organizations to come out and experience an event. There are fun events. There are educational events.”
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