PRIDE is a small club on campus, but they are gaining clout through their recent efforts. Most recently was the Day of Silence on April 17 and next up is the Big Gay Carnival. The students behind the event are working to promote awareness of gay issues.
The carnival will be held at Mission's Crossroads from 4-7 p.m. tomorrow. Games such as ring toss and trivia with cool prizes will be found. Moon Bounce will be the highlight, as well as a dunk tank with Dr. Evelyn Kirkley from the Theology Department.
Popcorn and cotton-candy will be part of the festivities. As an extra incentive to join in the fun, PRIDE will also be handing out T-shirts for the event that can be tie-dyed.
PRIDE members already started giving shirts out on the National Day of Silence. The shirts are white and have a clown with an "x" over its mouth.
Claire Kelly explained the Day of Silence. "It is a national day where people come together to recognize the ways in which LGBT is oppressed and forced to stay silent. It shows solidarity to people who have to stay silent about who they really are," Kelly said.
The Big Gay Carnival was originally supposed to be on the same day as the Day of Silence in order to break the silence, but scheduling conflicts pushed it back.
"We thought it would be a good end of the year celebration," Kelly said.
Kelly also spoke on behalf of the cause for which they are raising money. "The money goes towards continuing programming but mainly setting up scholarships for PRIDE Law to go to a different conference."
PRIDE Law is also called Lavender Law, a group that focuses on being successful legal professionals while being gay.
It only takes "a couple hundred dollars to extend knowledge [at a] gathering of law students who are interested in those issues," said Kelly.
The conference includes seminars about legal issues that face the LGBT population. To support this community, there is no need to break the bank.
Tickets and raffles at the carnival are not expensive, and the plus is learning what PRIDE is all about and getting to know the club and the cause better. Come out for "Big Gay" in May!
