Starting next week, Sacramento State’s PRIDE Center will be holding a week of events in collaboration with other student centers and resources in an effort to celebrate queer and trans joy for the LGBTQ+ community.
October is LGBTQ+ History Month, not to be confused with Pride Month which is celebrated every year in June. LGBTQ+ History Month originated back in 1994 where it was founded by the first openly gay public high school teacher in Missouri, Rodney Wilson, who chose this month because the first LGBT marches in D.C. took place in October of 1979.
Kicking off the week on Monday morning is the Black Joy Queer Joy event hosted by the MLK Center, located in Lassen Hall room 2201, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
PRIDE Center coordinator Angelito Zamora said this event serves as the kick off to integrate two communities, as queer and trans students of color don’t often access these spaces, so it’s a way for them to amplify their presence.
“We want to make sure we are amplifying our voices and services in marginalized communities,” Zamora said.
Later that day, the Multi-Cultural Center, located in the University Library, will be holding a Queeraoke event from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The event will be a chance for students to get together and sing their favorite songs with food and drinks provided.
The main event of Pride Week is the Pride Fair happening on Tuesday from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the library quad.
The PRIDE Center will have over 35 tables from various equity and affinity centers where students can learn more about LGBTQ+ community resources available for them both on and off-campus, all while connecting with other students in the community.
On Wednesday, the PRIDE Center, located on the first floor of the University Union, will be hosting the Queer Healthy Relationships event from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. with the Office of Equal Opportunity.
Britnie Hopkins, the senior OEO investigator, will be facilitating the event. Hopkins will be giving advice on what a healthy relationship looks like between queer people and the additional dangers they may face in their community.
“We’re going to be talking about what abusive relationships look like in the queer community,” Hopkins said. “Because there are risk factors that are present to magnify the risk of abusive relationships in this community.”
On Thursday, the PRIDE Center will be hosting the Queer Connect: Book Swap from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. where students and community members can come share stories about themselves while swapping books with one another to find a fun new fall read.
“It is an open event where everyone can come and connect, there won’t be as much heavy conversation but it is still a space where we will be facilitating conversations,” Zamora said.
Soon after, the Multi-Cultural Center will be hosting a Speed Friending event from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. This event will be centered around LGBTQ+ students getting to mix and mingle with each other over food and fun activities.
In the evening, the UNiQUE program will be hosting a Drag Show located in the University Ballroom at 7:30 p.m.
Former “Rupaul’s Drag Race” competitors Kornbread Jeté and Jasmine Kennedie will be putting on a free performance for students in support of Sac State’s Pride Week.
Closing off the week, the PRIDE Center will be putting on a QT Picnic & Crafts event from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the Riverfront Lawn where students can come together to enjoy good food and conversation while making various crafts.
Finally, there will be a Film-Screening & Friends event at the PRIDE Center starting at 2:15 p.m., with the center showing the popular queer movie “But I’m a Cheerleader” starring Natasha Lyonne and Clea Duvall.
Zamora said they hope these events for Pride Week bring together not the only students, but faculty staff as well. They hope everyone on campus comes out in support of building a stronger community.
“The overall energy of Pride Week is going to be very cozy, connecting with the community and finding joy,” Zamora said. “With all the anti-queer rhetoric going on, we just want to facilitate more joyful events for students on campus.”
For more information about the PRIDE Center and Pride Week, visit their Instagram.
