On May 13, Union Pride hosted its annual Pridefest at Library Plaza. Dozens of organizations set up tables and activities to support the LGBTQIA+ community, President David Harris gave a brief speech, and Union’s Taiko Japanese Drumming Ensemble performed for the crowd. The event marked the end of Union’s LGBTQIA+ Pride celebration week.
The President of Union Pride, Katie Boermeester’24 remarked on what pride means to them: “Pride means a lot of different things, and I will say it varies from person to person. For me, it is representative of being authentic, being confident in your own skin, and being able to be yourself, no matter if anyone agrees or disagrees.”
Various organizations came out to support the LGBTQIA+ community and promote their organizations. “We’re tabling today to raise awareness and there’s a safe space for black individuals to feel good for all parts of our table. We wanted to support union pride and all the individuals that support it,” Ebyan Abshir ‘24 and Hirlary Peña ‘26, members of the Black Student Union, said.
“We’re tabling to get the word out about our group. We’re welcoming to everyone and can teach people to knit and crochet, and we wanted to come and celebrate and are raffling off free items for anyone that wants to enter,” Ella Harper-Schiehl ‘23, a member of Union’s Needlecraft Group, said.
“We originally made this event for Valentine’s day and we thought what better way to show love at Pride,” Leonardo Ferrisi ‘23, the founder of Union Neurotech, said as he showed attendees a headband. “You put on a headband and measure brain activity. This is then converted to abstract art using a neural network as a unique representation of yourself as interpreted from your mind.”
In addition to student organizations, representatives from several of Union’s offices also had tables to support the LGBTQIA+ community. “I am both a hillel director and a verified spiritual director. My core spirit understanding is that we are all created with equality,” Bonnie Kramer, the Director of Union Hillel, a campus Jewish organization, said. “I know a lot of people in the community and we are out here to recognize the community. There is a higher risk in the trans community and every life is precious.”
In addition, Wicker Wellness Center provides help to LGBTQIA+ students. “Wicker Wellness is here to provide support and resources because we believe that every student should be safe and healthy. We welcome all students to come to the center and provide resources,” Sabrina Balbuena from the Wicker Wellness Center said.
Attendees were able to paint their nails, create pins, enter raffles for prizes, listen to music, and eat food served by Union’s dining services. Hundreds of students, staff, faulty, and community members came to partake in these activities and support Union’s LGBTQIA+ community, wether they identified as LGBTQIA+ themselves or served as allies.
To support the LGBTQIA+ community, students can join Union Pride, which aims to foster a thriving LGBTQIA+ community on campus. They meet on Thursdays at 5 p.m. in Reamer 305 and plan to celebrate Pridefest again next May.
This article was originally published in the print edition of Concordiensis on May 18, 2023, the Stienmetz Special Edition for 2023.
