June is recognized as Pride Month in the United States, and many students at ISU take part in the celebrations. There are several LGBTQIA+ student groups at ISU, and their members have shared their experiences.
Jaymes McShane, a senior in biology and president of Pride Alliance, first described his organization.
“Pride Alliance is a social club for queer students and allies,” McShane said. “We host social events like gayme nights, identity socials, craft nights and more. Our mission is to support queer students at Iowa State and give them a space to be themselves.”
McShane went on to describe what Pride Month is to him as a queer individual.
“Pride month is a celebration of our identities and a memorial of those who gave their lives to fight for lgbtq rights,” McShane said. “There is not much I’d change about how Pride Month is celebrated, but I do think it is important for people (including lgbtq individuals) to remember that Pride is not just for homosexuals. Sexuality and gender are a spectrum, and any identity that is not the norm is to be celebrated during Pride Month.”
McShane finally spoke about how he has celebrated Pride in the past.
“I’ve been to Ames Pridefest every year since starting at Iowa State, I’ve been to my local Pridefest in the Quad Cities, and I’ve been to the Pride parade in Chicago,” McShane said. “One of my favorite parts of Pride Month is the festivals because I love buying little trinkets and supporting queer creators. There are plenty of events around Iowa this month, and some events occurring even after June, like Ames Pridefest, which is in October to accommodate students.”
Members of the Aromantic Asexual Alliance (AAA), a weekly social and informational club for aroace people and their allies, shared their experiences with Pride Month.
Megan, a senior in event management and the president of AAA, talked about what they like about Pride and how they see this year as being somewhat set apart.
“I like Pride Month for the queer community to celebrate how far we have come,” Megan said. “I think Pride Month is necessary because we are still fighting for equality and legal protections. One thing I wish were different is not having Rainbow washing from companies that don’t support queer people outside of Pride Month. I think Pride this year is more important with the political climate and the active policies that are attacking the Trans community and still need legal protections around the world.”
Megan also mentioned how they have celebrated in the past.
“In the past, I have been to Des Moines Pride to celebrate Pride Month,” Megan said. “My favorite part of attending Pride is the drag shows.”
Sangeetha Santhanu, a senior majoring in computer science and the marketing director for AAA, spoke about her feelings regarding the necessity of Pride Month.
“I think that Pride Month is very necessary,” Santhanu said. “There’s a lot of rhetoric that teaches us to be ashamed of our identities and hide them, so having a time of year when you’re explicitly encouraged to be open about who you are means a lot. Pride does a lot to provide visibility for the queer community, spread awareness of the current issues we’re facing, and promote queer artists, restaurants, etc.”
Santhanu also shared how she plans to celebrate Pride for the first time this year.
“I’ll be attending my first Pride Parade this year,” Santhanu said. “I’m also going to a few other events, such as a Pridefest and queer game night. I’m hoping to meet more queer people in the area and find some queer-owned businesses to support.”
The president of the Gamma Rho Lambda social sorority, Mondoy Walker, a senior in Advertising with a Certificate in Leadership Studies, shared information about their organization.
“Gamma Rho Lambda is an all-inclusive social sorority that exemplifies tolerance, diversity, unity and trust, and it provides a network of support in scholastic guidance, emotional support and community service while ultimately developing lifelong family bonds,” Walker said. “While we are considered a sorority, we are open to all gender identities. As we were originally considered a Lesbian Sorority before expanding to all identities.”
Walker then spoke on how they view Pride Month’s importance.
“Pride Month is important because it not only serves as a month of celebration but also raises awareness of the LGBTQ+ community and the challenges many of its members face,” Walker said. “Pride Month is held in June to coincide with the anniversary of the Stonewall Revolution and serves as a movement for LGBTQ+ rights and equality.”
Walker shared what they see the purpose of Pride Month as.
“Events like Pridefest provide people of all identities with a safe space to come out and be themselves,” Walker said. “In today’s climate, Pride Month is very necessary as misinformation and hate have begun to spread rapidly, especially to those not already educated on LGBTQ+ topics.”
