By Emily Bartelheim, Features Editor
Last week, The College of Wooster’s Allies & Queers hosted its annual “7 Days of Gays.” From April 10-16, events were held every day in order to bring awareness and highlight issues was faced by LGBT members of campus and in the world.
The group’s goal was also to educate the campus on a variety of subjects that demonstrates the rich diversity of identities in the LGBT community.
On Sunday, a bonfire was held on the Kenarden Patio and featured performances by fire master Skyler Styles and fire breather Tomas Sanchez ’13.
On Monday, a handful of volunteers read LGBT poetry, which included original pieces. After students read everything from free verse to spoken word, guest speaker transgender slam poet Harvey Katz (aka Athens Boys Choir) delivered a series of lyrical slam poetry. Katz has been performing his work nationally since 2003 for a number of diverse audiences. His poetry is “raw, unapologetic, witty and soulful” and deals with a range of issues from gender to politics to love and pretty much anything else one can think of.
Tuesday featured “BisexualiTea,” held in Kittredge Dining Hall. This afternoon gathering served tea and allowed participants to discuss bisexuality with A&Q members.
The A&Q group showed a film on Wednesday in the Lowry Center: “Were the World Mine.” The movie centers on a boy who discovers a recipe to create a magical flower from the script of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and imposes a new reality by turning much of his narrow-minded town gay, beginning with the rugby jock of his dreams. The group served popcorn and rainbow cotton candy at the showing.
On Thursday, writer Fiona Zedde visited the College and hosted an erotica writing workshop titled “Writing with the Senses.”
The press release stated that Zedde is a transplanted Jamaican currently living and working in Tampa, Fla. Her work has been published in numerous anthologies, including “Best Lesbian Erotica 2004” and “Wicked: Sexy Tales of Legendary Lovers and Necrologue: DIVA Book of the Dead and Undead.” Participants experienced the five senses in the context of creating effective erotic literature. They tasted, felt, saw, heard and smelled different food items and used them as a starting point for writing.
Friday was highlighted by the Day of Silence. By picking up a card from Lowry at the A&Q table this past week, participants remained silent, serving as a visual representation of LGBT students and young adults who are afraid to come out of the closet or talk about his or her sexuality.
And finally, Saturday ended the jam-packed week with the much anticipated event of Gayla: A&Q’s annual drag show and dance party, held in the Lowry Center Ballroom. Special performances included the Cleveland Kings and Girls, drag queen Britney Cheers from Youngtown’s Utopia Night Club and performances by The College of Wooster students and alumni, including Sarah Hunt ’12 and George Myatt ’11.