Rally, speeches to kick off Pride Week

By ALEXANDRA RODRIGUEZ
Collegian Staff Writer

Even after domestic partner benefits were denied to Penn State employees, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community is still loudly voicing its pride.

Pride Week begins today with the 14th annual rally at noon in front of Old Main, and will end on March 29. The rally will feature speakers, including friends of Matthew Shepard who will speak about hate crimes, said Pride Week Co-Chair Steve McCann. Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming, died from a brutal hate crime last October.

The rally will be followed by 10 days of workshops, an affirmation service and social activities, such as a dance and a trivia game, said Austin Reed, Pride Week co-chair. Pride Week will close with a speech given by civil rights activist Jesse Jackson at 7 p.m. March 29 in Eisenhower Auditorium.

"Pride Week is a week worth of activities to celebrate the experiences of the LGBT community," Reed said. "It is also a good way to inform students about what the LGBT community is all about."

Pride Week gives the LGBT community more visibility at Penn State, said Erik Malewski, coordinator and adviser for the Office of the Vice Provost for Education Equity.

Although LGBT students are a minority on campus, Malewski said, there are no real physical traits distinguishing them from the larger Penn State community. As a result, the LGBT community marks Pride Week to celebrate its identities, Malewski said.

"I'm walking down the street and nobody can tell I'm gay," Reed said. "Being an invisible minority group makes us more vulnerable for discrimination, and by raising awareness within the community at large, we help to celebrate our diversity at Penn State and conquer some stereotypes as a whole."

Pride Week also seeks to educate people about LGBT issues while creating a positive image for the LGBT community, said Jennifer Dumin (sophomore-human development and family studies).

"As an ally, I've had many experiences which have led me to realize that many times, all it takes to eradicate homophobia from an ignorant mind is to create opportunities for visibility which teach about the LGBT community," she said.