Drag queens. Sex toys. LGBTQ+ representation. Sexual education.
These are some ideas UF students suggested during Tuesday’s Pride Awareness Month town hall in the Reitz Union. The town hall, which was attended by about 40 students, was one of two the organization will host in advance of the celebration, which is mid-March to mid-April, said Karla Gonzalez, UF Pride Awareness Month president.
New ideas for Pride Awareness Month include organizing a ball, assembling goodie bags for homeless shelters and bringing transgender people of color to campus to share their experiences.
“We want more community involvement to have a stronger community base,” said Gonzalez, a 21-year-old health education and behavior senior who identifies as bisexual.
Gonzalez said the organization’s crown jewel is their annual drag show, which typically features “RuPaul’s Drag Race” contestants. Staff also discussed other events including Paint Your Orgasm, Queer Prom, a gay blood drive and a kinky sex panel where there will be a sex toy giveaway.
Emmely Pavila, Pride Awareness Month marketing director, said while drag shows are fun, educational panels are just as necessary. During the town hall, attendees said they wanted Pride Awareness Month to stand up for queer people, promote intersectionality and ensure that queer voices are being heard in the Gainesville and UF communities.
“We need safe spaces that celebrate and represent the community,” said Pavila, a 22-year-old UF psychology and sociology senior.
In the last year, Pavila said she has become more comfortable with identifying as gay, and she feels safest at LGBTQ+ community-specific events like the town hall.
Veronica Sandoval, a 19-year-old computer science sophomore who is bisexual, is on Pride Awareness Month’s internal affairs and education board. She said she has been involved with activism in the LGBTQ+ community since joining an LGBTQ+ club in high school.
She said events such as Pride Awareness Month are important because they can help LGBTQ+ members feel more comfortable and educate allies on how to support the community.
“LGBTQ history is important,” Sandoval said. “Our country needs to focus on sexuality education more than sex ed.”
Jessica Cramblett, 27, from Dahlonega, Ga., who identifies as pansexual, holds a "Born This Way" flag as she watches the city's annual Gay Pride parade on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2019, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/ Robin Rayne)
Melissa Hernandez de la Cruz is a fourth-year journalism major at the University of Florida. She loves to travel, create photography, enjoy new cultures, and is a fellow history junkie. Apart from being a citizen of the world, she also shares birthdays with legendary artists Bruce Lee, Jimi Hendrix, and Bill Nye.
