The Gayla Festival, featuring information, fun, and food, will take over the HUB lawn from 1:30 to 7 p.m. today.

The festival, which is the first of its kind, began as an outreach of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Ally Resource Room, housed in 328 Grange Building.

The best things about the festival, however, aren't any of the events, according to Charles Brewer, one of the coordinators of the festival and the staff assistant in charge of managing and maintaining the resource room.

"We've gotten to the point when the university recognizes that there is a community that deserves this kind of event, and they're willing to support it," Brewer said. "I'm hoping to increase the awareness among the non-LGBT community to let them see there are more people than they think ... we're not all stereotypes and we're your friends, your neighbors, and your instructors and your ex-husbands."

Officials said a main goal of the festival is to acquaint the Penn State community to all the information available at the resource room, said Joshua Edwards (senior-biochemistry), the co-coordinator for the festival.

"The resource room here at Penn State wanted a way to open its doors to show everyone what it's about," Edwards said.

Since there was no way to have an open house on the third floor of Grange Building, those in charge of the resource room decided to open the event to other groups on and off campus by having the festival on the HUB lawn.

With 30 organizations participating, the Gayla will include representatives from groups including Lambda Student Alliance, Allies and Silver Circle.

The groups will come together in the involvement fair where some groups will be fund raising.

Most of the groups, however, will be conduct information booths.

"The whole rest of the lawn is going to be for people just to hang out," Edwards said.

Sponsored by the LGBTA Resource Room, Student Affairs and the Office of the Vice-Provost of Educational Equity, the festival will also include speeches, games and a barbecue on the HUB lawn.

"It's going to be a great time for people who really don't know what's going on to find out," Edwards said.

Sue Rankin, senior diversity analyst for the Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity, will spend the day in the resource room, however.

"The goal of the event is a celebration of the LGBTA community ... my job is to be in the Resource Room," Rankin said.

There also will be an evening dance in Heritage Hall at 9 p.m.

For more information call Charles Brewer at 863-1248.