Tuesday, April 21, 2009
From Strong Hall lawn, Sara Thompson and other members of Queers and Allies invited passers-by along Jayhawk Boulevard to join them Monday for a kiss-in, where same-sex and heterosexual couples made out on couches and blankets to demonstrate gay pride.
Thompson, Salina senior, said she felt the kiss-in from previous years did not make the right statement, so she said she decided to move it from Wescoe Beach to Strong Hall lawn, include more couples and actively invite students to join, with a megaphone and “mood music.”
“I’m proud to have organized such a blatantly in-your-face kind of event,” Thompson said. “Making out for the sake of activism isn’t such a bad thing.”
Juliana Tran, Dallas senior, and Zach Holden, Topeka senior, engage in a prolonged kissing session during Monday afternoon’s kiss-in, sponsored by Queers and Allies. Heterosexual couples were encouraged to join same-sex couples on the lawn of Strong Hall as a sign of support for gay pride week.
Video
As part of Pride Week, Queers and Allies played host to Kiss-In, featuring a combination of gay and straight couples, in front of Strong Hall. The event's intent was to raise awareness of the importance of public affection and openness in the gay community.
Matthew Araiza, Queers and Allies historian, said the kiss-in would allow homosexuals’ presence be known. It was also a way to show that they liked to make out, just like heterosexual people, Araiza, Plano, Texas, freshman, said.
“This is an event where both gays and our allies can come together in something that is familiar to both groups,” Araiza said. “The more both groups can come together the better we can understand each other.”
Thompson said the goal of the kiss-in was to make a statement about homosexual relationships and public displays of affection. She said that because homosexual public displays of affection were not as readily accepted or tolerated as those of a heterosexual couple, same-sex couples could feel discomfort or other negative feelings about participating in public displays of affection.
“The kiss-in is basically supposed to be a big, loud ‘Hey! We’re here and we’re queer and we’re not apologizing for it,’” Thompson said.
Abigail Bockus, Manhattan, junior, was working at a table on Wescoe Beach for Women’s Transitional Care Services and got a clear view of the kiss-in, as well as the reactions of people who passed it along the street.
“I think it’s a pretty prominent way to send out your message,” Bockus said. “I don’t think they’re trying to offend anyone though.”
Bockus said she heard a variety of reactions to the event, both positive and negative.
“I think that you should be comfortable with your life choice and you shouldn’t be embarrassed by it,” Bockus said. “I feel that the people that would be offended by it are the one’s uncomfortable with their sexuality.”
Ryan Campbell, Olathe senior and president of Queers and Allies, said the kiss-in used to be a Queers and Allies tradition, but that they had stopped doing it two years ago because of a lack of interest. The kiss-in used to be held at a table on Wescoe Beach with just one couple kissing.
Campbell said there wasn’t much of a reaction from people to the old kiss-ins because of the underwhelming effort on Queers and Allies part. He said he was confident that this year would revive the tradition. Though the kiss-in may seem fun and sexual, it’s actually rooted in activism, Campbell said.
“This is one more way to show that queer and heterosexuals are remarkably similar,” Campbell said. “We eat, we sleep and we even like to fool around.”
— — Edited by Melissa Johnson
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Comments
Displays of affection for activism
Bingo
Displays of affection for activism
Maybe some people find discomfort in it because PDA is pretty gross, whether gay or straight.
Displays of affection for activism
PDA...not necessary, whether you are straight or gay. If they wanted to be in our face/send a message they should have called Fred Phelps. That would have made it interesting.
Displays of affection for activism
I gotta say I agree with the comments. PDA is gross no matter who you are, especially when there's a person with a megaphone calling out random passers-by on the lawn of Strong.
Displays of affection for activism
How does this raise awareness? We're all aware that straight and gay couples exist. And that people kiss. We're all aware. You don't need to shove it into peoples' faces. No one is unaware of these things. This does not help good laws get passed.
It's like the whole 'tie a pink ribbon around a tree to promote breast cancer awareness.' I think we're all aware that it exists. Pink ribbons on trees do literally nothing to help scientists fight it.
We all go to the restroom, but we don't do it in public. We all brush our teeth and get dressed, but we don't do it in public. We all makeout, but we do not need to do it in public.
Displays of affection for activism
Hey there's all sorts of good ideas in this line of thinking.
Let's promote breast cancer "awareness" by having some Kappas frolic topless wearing pink ribbon pasties. I think everyone could enjoy that!
You know, the Kappas could make out too, if that would serve to increase "awareness." Sounds good to me!
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