By The Keystone Newspaper 18 clubs and organizations host tables in support of community
By Emma Osborne
On Thursday, Oct. 10, upwards of 300 students came together to celebrate National Coming Out Day at KU’s annual Pridefest. Pridefest hosted 18 clubs and organizations, each offering resources, goodies or activities to students who attended.
Photo Credit: Emma Osborne
“The event went great. Students particularly enjoyed our stuff-a-plush program,” KU Allies president, Noah Gray, said.
Ronnie Farnham, a senior history major at KU, is president of the Golden Bears Care organization. Farnham’s reason for hosting a table was that “most of us (in GBC) are part of the LGBTQ+ community, so we were excited to finally give back to people.” GBC offered flyers on LGBTQ+ support groups, homeless shelters, and budgeting tips, in addition to a pair of fun heart-shaped glasses.
Pridefest also had a table combining pride and mental health.“We thought it was really important to provide a space and information for individuals of the LGBTQ+ community to kind of get resources for mental health services,” said Jalen Bull, a graduate student in clinical mental health counseling.
Bull represented the KU Health and Wellness Center and clinical/psychological services at this year’s Pridefest. Their bracelet-making activity combined the idea of pride and mental health.
“I think that it’s lovely that we’re able to spread the positive message of like it’s OK to struggle with your mental health in regard to your identity and it’s OK to ask for help,” Bull said.
Pridefest focused on providing resources and safe spaces for LGBTQ+ students, but Pridefest also hosted a table focused on fighting for the rights of LGBTQ+ students and other minorities.
“[Pridefest] needs to send the message that KU is an inclusive campus and fosters a sense of community between everyone,” said Emily Oswald, a junior social work major. Oswald ran the Votes for Equality table as part of the Feminist Majority Foundation. Votes for Equality’s mission was to spread voter registration awareness among the 18-29 year old demographic.
“We have pledges which say that you’re going to vote for candidates that stand for equality, specifically LGBTQ rights, and then we also have rainbow goodie bags to fit the event,” said Oswald.
KU Allies is still in the process of evaluating the various activities’ success, but one activity was a success for sure: the stuff-a-plush program. Gray says for next year, the requirements for the activity will definitely need to be streamlined more.
KU Allies seek to create a safe support network to advocate for LGBTQ+ and allied students. They hold meetings every week and many events throughout the year. They meet on Thursdays at 11 a.m. at Boxwood House, and can be found on Instagram @kuallies