A rainbow banner and multicolored balloons cascaded over Old Main steps Friday afternoon, where a group of about 50 people gathered to kick off the 15th annual Pride Week.

Speakers addressed several issues facing the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and ally (LGBTA) communities including diversity, pride and reaching out to other communities. The event ended with a march through campus.

"Here we are today, to celebrate what brings us together," Lynn Thompson, co-director of Lambda Student Alliance, said in her opening address.

Co-directors of the rally, Jennifer Storm and Chris Brown, expressed their excitement over the upcoming week and encouraged people to enjoy free pizza, pride buttons and Frisbees.

Pink triangle chocolate "gay bars" and Pride Week long-sleeved tees were also available for sale.

Brown modeled one of the shirts, displaying the colorful artwork on the back. "For the record, that is a rainbow rocket ship," he said.

Alfred Bagamasbad, founder of Undertones, spoke to the crowd about his new student group, which focuses on the ethnic and racial minorities within the LGBTA community. "It's very difficult being a minority within an minority," he said.

Bagamasbad said he decided to form a group that focused on the diversity within the community after speaking with another student who had similar ideas to his own.

"I decided that I wanted to be true to me — and true to all of me," he said.

Bagamasbad said that although he had already met some resistance to the idea, even from his own Filipino community, he planned to continue to realize his vision and hoped that others would pick up where he leaves off.

Aria Galletti (senior-media studies), director of Allies, described how she, a heterosexual woman, came to work with LGBTA people. She said a man who attended her high school dropped out after enduring repeated ridicule about his homosexuality. Watching his struggle inspired Galletti to join the cause. Fifteen years of pride, she said, is something to be proud of in itself.

"Don't ever stop fighting, and don't ever stop being proud," Galletti said.

Nick Salter (senior-psychology) said that after three years of being active in the community, he decided to reach out to others as well. "I realized it was not just me and my community I wanted to change, it was everybody," he said.

Neil Johnson, chairman of the Commission on LGBTA Equity, said students should challenge themselves to meet and interact with people who are not like themselves.

"Make friends of the people who you think may be enemies," Johnson said.

Jacquie Wade, assistant director at the AT&T Center for Service Leadership, said she wanted the LGBTA community at Penn State to work to make the school a better place for all students. "Are you building the people up or are you tearing them down?" Wade asked.

The rally ended with a march to and through the HUB-Robeson Center, out to Pollock Road and turning at the Willard Building to go back to Old Main. Marchers carried a colorful banner over their heads while chanting slogans such as, "We're here, we're queer, we're fabulous, get used to it," "We are Penn State! We are not straight!" and "Hey, hey, ho, ho, homophobia's got to go!"