The contributions that local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people have made to their neighborhoods, cities and country will be acknowledged during this year's Pride Week, which kicks off today and continues until next Friday.
Pride Week was coordinated by the LGBT Affairs commission of Student Senate and co-sponsored by groups such as Open Doors, Ally and ACTOUT. The events for the week follow a theme of Civic Pride.
(Pride Week) is a celebration at its core
said Will Wemer, LGBT Affairs Commissioner. (Civic Pride) is about celebrating our involvement and our civic duty.
As LGBT Affairs Commissioner, Wemer's main role is to act as the executive director of Pride Week. He began working with a committee in September to organize the week's events.
Pride Week at Ohio University is unique because students plan and organize the week, said Mickey Hart, the assistant director of campus life for LGBT programs. While the LGBT Program Center offers guidance in the planning, the week belongs to the students.
Pride Week did not being until 1996, but OU students have taken an active role in LGBT affairs since the 1970s, said Jan Griesinger, director emerita of United Campus Ministries, 18 N. College St. During the '70s, LGBT students were afraid of losing friends, jobs and the respect of professors if they came out, she said. Several LGBT student groups formed on campus in the '80s and '90s. Today, Griesinger said, the atmosphere is different because more people have become involved.
While the attitude toward LGBT students has changed, many Pride Week events have remained the same, Hart said. One of the traditional events is the Pride Week Rally on Friday. This year's keynote speaker at the rally is Ron Hunt, the chair of the political science department. Hunt has been involved in the LGBT movement in Athens since the '70s, teaches classes about gay and lesbian politics and queer theory and has written a book about the gay rights movement.
A new event this year is the Community Service Day, which is Saturday. Students will work with UCM on projects in Athens and Stewart to help build a community center. Serving in local areas ties in with the week's theme, Wemer said.
Whether the Pride Week events are meant to entertain, inform or send a message, they are all part of a tradition that has become very meaningful for students, he added.
We're very proud of our Pride Week Wemer said. It's something people look forward to. I'm excited to see people come and enjoy themselves.
Pride Week 2007: Civic Pride Calendars of Events
Today: Open Doors presents Two Jacks, Three Queens G
17
Archives
Anna Sudar
