Ellie Kahn
Contributing Writer
As a way of connecting and honoring Wooster’s LGBTQIA+ community, the College celebrated Pride this past week, offering a number of events for students and faculty.
Pride originated in 1970 as a way to commemorate the Stonewall Riots, with the queer community protesting mistreatment from the police and American public. Alongside societal shifts, Pride has grown to include increased support and visibility with the fight for recognition and safety of all queer individuals, and is now observed globally. Wooster’s Pride Week was a collaborative effort of several groups on campus, including the Center for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI), Queer Student Union (QSU) and Queer People of Color (QPoC).
The celebration kicked off with Wooster’s third annual Pride Fest on Saturday, March 30 in Babcock Hall, hosted by the Sexuality and Gender Inclusion branch of CDI; in particular, Melissa Chesanko, director of Sexuality and Gender Inclusion, Kim Green, program co-ordinator for CDI and Channler Twyman, CDI intern, worked to create the event. With over 100 students and faculty in attendance, Pride Fest was filled with games, crafts, food and information on queer resources. Additionally, attendees of Pride Fest were treated to live performances from CowBelles, an all-treble a cappella group on campus, as well as Lady Dane Figueroa Edidi. Edidi is a black trans poet, author and activist from Baltimore who was brought to campus by QSU and QPoC, where she performed poetry at the event.
For those in QSU and QPoC, Pride Fest represented much more than a day of fun and celebration. Zizia Swan ’21, one of the co-presidents of QSU, reflected that “for me personally, Pride represents community above all else. It is very easy as a queer person to feel isolated and worry that you’re alone in your experiences, and having celebrations like Pride reminds me that we’re strong and united in our experiences.” When asked how to support members of the queer community, Swan responded to “wish your friends a happy Pride! Touch base with your queer friends and see how they’re doing; come to a QSU meeting or an open QPoC meeting.”
Cesar Lopez ’21, one of the co-presidents of QPoC, echoed Swan’s sentiment, commenting that “Pride Fest is an opportunity to create a platform that uplifts and supports the work of queer speakers and performers of color. Through that, it’s an opportunity for QPoC members and queer students of color in general to hopefully see how they too can continuously prosper and grow in their own respective ways, and that there is a supportive community out there for them beyond the limits of our campus.”
Following Pride Fest, the week continued with a dialogue on Sunday, March 31 with Juliet Johnston. Johnston is currently pursuing her Ph.D in environmental engineering, and created the group “Queer Science” as well as “Queer Science Day” to encourage and inspire younger LGBTQIA+ scientists. The dialogue coincided with Transgender Day of Visibility, celebrated around the world this past Sunday. Lopez credits the S.T.E.M. Success Initiative for bringing Johnston to campus, adding that “if you’re on the executive board for a student organization or you work within an academic department, bringing queer speakers, performers and academics are tangible ways to create spaces where you support our community on campus and the livelihood of queer and trans folks … the S.T.E.M. Success Initiative did just that.”
Monday, April 1 saw the event “Crafting Q-MMUNITY” in the Q Space, where students drank tea, crafted and created black-out poetry. Also, “Gender and Sexualitea” was held on Tuesday, April 2 where a discussion on polyamorous and non-monogamous relationships was facilitated. Pride Week at the College concluded on Wednesday, April 3 with a Prism meeting downtown, the local Wayne County LGBTQIA+ group which meets each month. If interested in attending a Prism meeting, students should contact Melissa Chesanko at MChesanko@wooster.edu for information.
For allies looking for ways to better support their queer friends and fellow students, Lopez recommends being an active presence at events such as those held during Pride Week, and urges the campus community to “speak out against homophobia and transphobia on campus [and] report situations whenever possible. Listen to queer and trans students when they’re talking about their experiences on this campus.” Students are also encouraged to sign up for Safe Zone trainings to educate themselves on different identities.