Editorial: Pierce promotes the LGBTQ community

A number of events around campus put Allies in Action on the map.

Published May 7, 2009

With the many movements and projects Allies in Action led this year, it's hard to believe senior Lance Pierce founded it in his sophomore year.

Pierce formed and became president of Allies in Action with the hopes of recruiting students in support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning community.

Pierce said Allies in Action provided a niche to those who support the LGBTQ community but weren't really sure how to help. This year, he's worked to provide information and an outlet to those who want to help.

Pierce, along with Allies in Action, coordinated a suicide prevention event last semester in which they painted Carnahan Quadrangle red with 1,752 flags representing the amount of suicides in the LGBTQ community each year. Allies was also the driving force behind Common Ground, an event that worked to bridge the gap between the LGBTQ and religious communities.

Their largest presence on campus, though, comes from the Allies in Action "iCare" shirts Pierce and other Allies members sell at their events. In its young existence at MU, Pierce's Allies in Action has managed to become arguably the most active LGBTQ student organization on campus.