MU celebrates acceptance, diversity with Pride Prom

The Multicultural and LGBTQ Resource centers hosted the event.

By Kelsey MacDonald

Published April 27, 2009

Silver stars hung from the ceiling and purple and black streamers garnished the walls as balloons bounced along the dance floor of the non-judgmental atmosphere.

The festive decorations graced the Mark Twain Ballroom in Memorial Union on Saturday night in honor of Pride Prom, an annual event at MU that gathers community members in celebration of the end of Pride Month.

The event, which was hosted by the Multicultural Center and the LGBTQ Resource Center, took months to plan, Fluidity President Emily Colvin said.

One of the purposes of Pride Prom is to allow lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning people and supporters to have a safe gathering space.

LGBTQ Resource Center Outreach Coordinator Stephanie Schuman helped to coordinate the event.

"If they can't go to their own prom, we want them here," Schuman said. "We want them to have that safe and fun experience that everyone else has."

Though the event used to be a popular one, Schuman said the attendance has been dwindling the past few years due to it being held off campus, so the group brought it to Memorial Union this year to encourage more guests.

Among those invited were Gay-Straight Alliances of local high schools, as well as any community member. The prom was advertised on various listservs in hopes of popularizing it.

Pride Prom co-coordinator Sean Jarvis said he attended the event four years ago as a sophomore with his high school's GSA and is still celebrating the end of Pride Month as a sophomore in college.

"It's been a very, very long and successful Pride Month, I would say," Jarvis said. "One of the major things that occurred during this month was the IncludeMe campaign and the gender identity referendum. It's been very good in terms of a message to this community that this campus really is on our side."

Jarvis also expected there to be attendance from various community organizations, such as Gamma Rho Lambda, Triangle Coalition umbrella organizations and members of the Women's Center. He said the formation of the Center for Social Justice has brought attention to the event from other groups as well.

"It's going to be a very diverse group," Jarvis said. "People with a lot of concerns and ideas."

Pride Prom also offered free photos, refreshments and hours of dancing, a fitting way, according to its organizers, to celebrate a month of hard work and success in gender inclusion and LGBTQ awareness.