It's mostly about corporations telling us that they're "down with the gays" and an excuse for gay people party. We now mark the infamous Stonewall Riots every June with a parade through town.
While the day is all about being gayer than Liza Minnelli singing "Single Ladies" in a Sex and the City movie, we love it when our straight allies come out and lend their support. So, one doesn't so much "go to Pride" as one "does Pride." Every gay observes it differently, but it really is the one time of the year when all the leather daddies, bull dykes, twinks, alternaqueers, trannies, drag queens, femmes, circuit boys, bois (who are actually girls), and all the other wonderful gay archetypes rub elbows in a giant celebration of living somewhere over the rainbow. Much like Mardi Gras in New Orleans, it is a collection of parades, rallies, parties, private events, functions, fundraisers, and bead throwing. There are picnics and fireworks and lots of drinking and it's all about freedom! Pride isn't really one single occurrence. If Halloween is Gay Christmas and the Oscars is the Gay Super Bowl, then Pride is Gay Fourth of July. You should come join the party! But first, here are a few things you need to know before joining the fun. “I couldn’t have done it without everyone.If you are a opposite-gender lover you may not know this is Gay Pride Weekend in New York. “It was a very loving community that was able to help me put this together,” Johnson said. They thanked the entire committee, especially Chrissie King, assistant director of the Campus Center at the Division of Student Life, for her help in bringing this vision to life.
Johnson said they plan to make Pride Fest an annual tradition. Not just in events like this, but in our classrooms, our activities, in everything.”
“We need to show that we support all of our community. “My goal was to create not only a celebration of LGBTQ people, but also increase advocacy, hence all our vendor tables,” Johnson said. They are driven by a personal goal to ease the name-change process and increase pronoun visibility across campus. Amid this turbulent year for the LGBTQ community, Johnson said they wanted to spread awareness of these challenges and share resources from community-based organizations and local nonprofits dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ individuals. Nearly 240 anti-LGBTQ bills have been filed in 2022, from restrictions on LGBTQ instruction in schools to bans on gender-affirming health care for minors. “Events like this are not only fun, but also showcase acceptance and tolerance of LGBTQ people,” Johnson said. Syd Johnson, president of the Student Government Association and event organizer, said the committee’s goal was to create a safe space for LGBTQ expression and activism. Junior Ce Giannotti said they are excited to see more Pride events on campus after a two-year lull due to the COVID-19 pandemic.įunded by a $2,000 Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Advocacy (IDEA) Innovation Grant from the Office of Civic Engagement, the celebration had been in the planning stages since last November. Everyone’s having a great time I feel like this shows the best of what Rutgers–Camden has to offer.”
“It’s easy to think, ‘I’m the only one who’s like this.’ But during events like this you get to see people who are just like you and different in just the right ways. “Knowing that there are so many people here, that makes it so much more valid,” said Sean Tomasetto, a junior at Rutgers–Camden. A long list of vendors, including the Mazzoni Center, William Way Community Center, Live Nation, Garden State Equality and Jersey Gay Pride, handed out everything from temporary tattoos to hotline information for LGBTQ support services. The quad at Rutgers–Camden was a sea of rainbow flags, colorful balloons and glittering outfits as students, staff and faculty showed up on Friday afternoon to support the campus’ first-ever Pride Fest.Īs Lady Gaga’s “Born this Way” blared from the speaker system, attendees enjoyed a live drag show, designed pronoun buttons, decorated Pride flags, played lawn games and more. Rutgers–Camden senior, student body president and event organizer Syd Johnson welcomes the crowd with microphone in hand.