Though Pride Week celebrates the LGBTA community, organizers said it’s not exclusive to those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.
Frank Chumbiray (senior-toxicology) believes Pride Week is both a recognition of being LGBTA and a way for the rest of the Penn State community to become familiar with what it means to be a part of the LGBTA community.
“The goal of pride week every year is for people to celebrate who they are and be proud of who they are and what they like,” Chumbiray said. “I’d like the student body to come to our events and see the LGBTA community and its different aspects. There are so many aspects of our community.”
This semester, Pride Week will span two weeks — lasting from March 18 through March 29 — and it involves events from a rally and a documentary screening, to a Straight Talk and a drag show.
LGBTA Student Coalition Co-President Spencer Paret said Pride Week is important because it provides visibility to the LGBTA community.
“It’s a lot about showing our pride and being proud of who we are and loving ourselves,” Paret (sophomore-engineering) said.
Rainbow Roundtable member Jenny Shipley said Pride Week is something that should be accessible to the entire Penn State community, not just those who identify as LGBT.
She added that, while pride weeks are a great rallying point for the LGBTA community, they are also an important way to illustrate to the rest of the university community what being LGBTA is all about.
“The beauty of Penn State is that it provides such a wealth of diversity events. You don’t have to be a part of a minority to want to go to a diversity event,” Shipley (senior- engineering) said. “By meeting people who are different from yourself you can see what they’re going through and learn to accept more people… we welcome everyone.”
Week of March 18:
Monday: - HUB Takeover, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., HUB-Robeson Center Entrance; information tables will be set up to promote Pride Week and the events and organizations involved.
- Campus Straight Talk, 6 p.m., HUB-Robeson Center Auditorium; a panel of LGBTA students will discuss their experiences and answer questions.
Tuesday: - Keeping the Faith Panel, Noon, Memorial Lounge in the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center; a panel of leaders from different faith backgrounds will discuss their faith's perspectives on sexuality, gender identity and the LGBTA community.
- “ScottChurch’s Drag” Documentary Screening, 7 p.m., HUB-Robeson Center Auditorium; Controversy is stirred up when an award-winning glamour photographer switches his subject matter from women to drag performers.
Wednesday: - Pride Week Rally, Noon, Old Main steps; members of the LGBTA community at Penn State will speak out on behalf of the community. Applications to speak at the event are available.
- Keynote Speaker Kate Clinton: LY-LGBTQ-AO - Laugh Your LGBTQ A$$ Off, 7 p.m., Heritage Hall in the HUB-Robeson Center; Kate Clinton presents a comic view on multiple aspects of the last 30 years of the gay movement.
Thursday: - Ally Training, 11 a.m., 321 HUB-Robeson Center; training on being an ally to the LGBT community for all Penn State students, staff, and faculty who are interested.
- Free STI/HIV Testing, Noon to 4 p.m., Student Health Center; free and confidential STI and HIV testing available.
- Pride Week Open Forum with the Paul Robeson Cultural Center, 6 p.m., PRCC Library; discussion on the intersections between sexual and gender identities and racial identities, open to all.
Friday: - Lunch and Information Session with Siemens, Noon, 101 Boucke Building; information session from Siemens for students interested in working for the company.
- Safe Sex Workshop with Penn State Students, 3 p.m., 129C HUB-Robeson Center; Penn State students discuss ways to engage in safe sex.
- CLGBTE Spring Social, 4 p.m., Palmer Art Museum; Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Equity host this gathering for Penn State faculty, staff, students, and their families for tours of the museum’s collection and special exhibitions, casual conversation, and hors d’oeuvres.
- Spring Fling Dance, 7:30 p.m., 302 HUB-Robeson Cultural Center
Week of March 25:
Monday: - LGBTA Passover Seder, 7 p.m., Pasquerilla Spiritual Center; Penn State Hillel and the LGBTA Student Resource Center will host a Passover Seder designed specifically for the LGBTA community and its allies.
Wednesday: - Support Network Film, Noon, 106 HUB-Robeson Center; Penn State Support Network will host a screening of a documentary about the LGBTA community.
- “How to Survive a Plague” Documentary Screening, 5 p.m., HUB-Robeson Center Auditorium; documentary featuring two coalitions who turned AIDS into a manageable condition, followed by speaker Peter Staley, an activist featured in the film.
Thursday: - Gayme Show, 5:30 p.m., 101 Boucke Building; CAPS and the LGBTA Student Resource Center host an interactive game about the LGBTA community.
Friday: - Drag Show, 6 p.m., Alumni Hall in the HUB-Robeson Center.
