April 3, 2019

The first floor of the MU Student Center became noticeably more colorful Monday, as students gathered to ice cupcakes, learn about Pride Month at MU and grab free sexual, romantic and gender identity stickers.

MU officially began its 2019 Pride Month celebration Monday with the Pride Month Kickoff. While Pride Month is traditionally celebrated in June, the MU festivities take place in April so that students can attend the events during the spring semester.

“Pride Month at Mizzou, for me, is [MU] recognizing there are communities on campus that need to be represented and it gives them a way to express themselves without having backlash that may come from being a certain minority,” freshman Paola Rodriguez said.

Other students pointed out the importance of Pride in recognizing LGBTQ activists.

“Pride Month is an opportunity to celebrate folks in the community who don’t get a space on this campus. It’s an opportunity for us to recognize the powerful impact of folks in the LGBTQ community, and how they have changed and shifted the narrative, how they’ve changed how we even work in this school,” senior Ayesha Vishnani said. “It’s to celebrate the work of activists, and the work that they’ve done in order to create a safe and inclusive environment for folks all over the world and the United States, and especially on our campus.”

Sophomore Dylan Johnson said he is excited about the Queer Monologues on April 25, because he enjoys spoken word.

In addition to the Pride Month Kickoff, the MU LGBTQ Resource Center has coordinated 18 other events throughout the month. These include shows, film screenings, workshops and more, as well as Lavender Graduation, a celebration of the graduation of LGBTQ MU students.

One of the more interactive events offered is the Let’s Get Loud Drag Show on April 19, where MU students give drag performances.

A full list of these events and more details can be found at the LGBTQ Resource Center website.

_Edited by Anne Clinkenbeard | aclinkenbeard@themaneater.com_

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