While the weather outside fluctuated between sunshine and clouds, rainbows were prevalent all over the Penn State campus last week.
Penn State’s LGBTA Pride Week educated the PSU population about gay pride and gave members of the community an opportunity to be proud of who they are.
The week kicked off with a HUB ‘takeover’ and a Jeopardy-like GAYME show last Monday. Then on Wednesday, about 100 students gathered on the steps of Old Main for a rally at which speakers shared their personal experiences with coming out. That evening, keynote speaker Lt. Dan Choi spoke about the military’s ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ policy. Rainbow balloons and streamers could be seen waving through campus on Friday afternoon as members of the LGBTA community marched down Pollock Avenue.
The week’s most talked about event, though, was the Professional Drag Show held at the HUB Alumni Auditorium Friday night. Kierra Darshell and her girls graced the runway with their dance moves and extravagant ensembles to the hoots and hollers of straight and gay people alike.
Many spectators walked into the dark auditorium not knowing what to expect.
‘I thought it was gonna be janky,’ admitted musical theater major Jeremy Lewis, ‘But I was impressed. It was seamless.’
Lewis was referring to the theatricality of it all: the lip-synching, the sequined costumes and the Beyonce-like booty shaking. The girls were more than false eyelashes and lipstick. Kierra Darshell, Miss Sasha, Miss Veronica and Ann Fu Young knew how to work the crowd.
‘It was fun and surprising,’ said a psychology grad student who stopped by to see what it was all about, ‘It’s not really my thing, but I’m glad I went.’
Pride Week came to a kinky close with a Safer Sextravaganza co-sponsored by Undertones, oSTEM and Delta Lambda Phi. The event was a series of workshops addressing all communities about safer sex with special emphasis on the LGBT community.
‘I think it’s really important to help create awareness,’ said Lianna Newman, president of Undertones, ‘When you do straightforward sex ed, it just goes over people’s heads. But if you have workshops like this, people listen.’
The evening included a presentation by Bob Forbes, who has been speaking about sex issues for 25 years. As a gay male, Forbes developed HIV during a time when it wasn’t socially accepted. Today, he said, HIV is a known thing just like any other disease, and it can be prevented. Forbes spoke about how college-age students are beginning to engage in riskier activities and the need for them to understand how to make those activities safer.
It was the second time Penn State held the Safer Sextravaganza, and Newman hopes to make it an annual thing as with other LGBT awareness events. Forbes summed up the sentiments of the LGBTA community best when he said, ‘I think we have to educate, nurture and develop.’
