Friday, April 9, 2010
Vexillographer (the proper name for flag-maker) Gilbert Baker, creator of the Rainbow Flag, holds up a flag with his original 8 color design. "I am very proud," he voiced, "to be able to use my gift, my craft, my skill, to be active." He recounted the first moment his flag was raised and immediately accepted by the gay community as being the "moment that changed my life."
As Pride Week comes to a close, members of KU Queers and Allies are remembering why they’re proud to be members of the LGBT community.
This is the 20th annual Pride Week at KU, an idea that Pride Week coordinator Kellen Bolt said he found both exciting and daunting.
“Pride week has been visible this year, so it’s been awesome,” said Bolt, a sophomore from Iola. “We tried to make it as big as possible and as visible as possible. You want every Pride Week to be the best.”
Bolt said Pride Week was important for the KU LGBT community because it allows members to participate in events that embrace their differences and individuality.
“There are a lot of queer people on campus that you don’t necessarily meet or know,” said Bolt. “This brings everyone together.”
Other LGBT symbols
Learn more about some of the LGBT community's lesser-known emblems.
All of the events included a question-and-answer session with the speaker or artist, allowing members of the audience to gain the perspectives of prominent members of the queer community. Rachel Gadd-Nelson, educational outreach coordinator for Queers and Allies, said she felt that all of the events were successful and fulfilled their purpose.
“Also, I’m really excited about the fact that we’re seeing a lot of new people in the community coming to our event,” said Gadd-Nelson, a junior from Kansas City, Kan. “It’s really nice to see people that aren’t part of the usual crowd there.”
Among this week’s events was a performance by Vogue Evolution, a dance group that was on the fourth season of MTV’S America’s Best Dance Crew. As the group was speaking to the audience, one of the members addressed the trials of being an openly-gay person of color.
“We don’t consider ourselves black gay men,” said Devon ‘Pony’ Webster of Vogue Evolution. “When the world sees us, they see black gay men. We just see ourselves.”
Gadd-Nelson said this Pride Week will end with the Brown Bag Drag today, outside of the Kansas Union at noon. Tomorrow, members of Queers and Allies will participate in the Pride Parade, which begins at South Park at 10:45 a.m.
— Edited by Cory Bunting
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