Around 300 students were welcomed to the Pride Student Union’s annual event by burlesque performer Ivy Les Vixens, who founded the largest all-queer burlesque group, Les Vixens.
Vixens opened Monday night’s event by talking about how her queerness has opened the doors for creative projects she’s undertaken in adulthood. She said the same may be true for queer UF students in their futures.
Social Media Caption: The Pride Student Union’s annual pride assembly ‘Y2Gay’ was tonight. The event featured numerous speakers, performances, and organizations encouraging students to celebrate and embrace their sexuality.
“I want everyone to know that there is an ‘and,’” said Vixens. “You can be gay and successful. You can be gay and happy. You can be gay and supported. You can be gay and be a doctor, a lawyer, a brilliant performer, whatever you want to be.”
A celebration of identity, resilience and belonging
The Pride Student Union is the largest LGBTQ+ organization at UF, organizing annual welcome assemblies for queer students and aiming to create an open, safe and inclusive atmosphere.
With the loss of the assembly’s Signature Event designation in 2025, PSU faced funding challenges for this year's event. Despite operating on a smaller budget, this time funded by SG, the event ran smoothly.
After Vixens’ speech, the event went on to feature two performers, three organizations and 10 guest speakers, who all aimed to unite queer students.
Gainesville-based band Kalopsia followed Vixens on stage. The audience stood in support as the queer band ended its performance with a rendition of Jimmy Eat World’s “The Middle.”
While speakers from the Queer Cultivation program and Student Government walked attendees through the different campus resources for queer students, Diego Herrada, a 20-year-old UF psychology senior and the event’s coordinator, called attention to larger issues surrounding the group.
The theme “Y2gay” was inspired by the doomsday Y2K panic many felt entering the year 2000
The shift from 1999 to 2000 spurred worries computer systems would malfunction because years were only displayed using two digits, which many believed would lead to widespread software glitches due to computers thinking it was the year 1900.
The threat of a widespread glitch bred a massive wave of panic and doubt among the population, which Herrada likened to the uncertainty the queer community faces today.
“The theme was born out of continual frustration with legislative challenges that we’ve been facing as a community across the world,” he said. “But from what I’ve seen time and time again, the community will be there, and that community will always be there to support whenever we are all taking our next step.”
Creating a space for queer students
The theme of community was emphasized by many speakers, including Herrada, throughout the event as they shared the importance of connecting with other queer students.
Osnel Leiva, a 21-year-old UF health science senior and the director of LGBTQ+ Affairs for SG, echoed those sentiments.
The event was intended to highlight the importance of community and show queer students the spaces and clubs made for them at UF, he said.
“I think it’s really good for people to explore resources and involvement on campus,” Leiva said.
The event’s focus on community was clear to attendees like 20-year-old biochemistry junior Amaya Fife, who has attended the annual welcome event for X years.
The sense of community and empowerment it promotes is why she’s kept coming back, she said.
“I think there’s a lot of people who find community here and feel free to just be themselves and have a nice night with their friends,” Fife said.
Local band Buboy closed out the event. In between songs, the artist echoed the night’s message: “Existence is resistance.”
Contact Erica Dybas at edybas@alligator.org. Follow her on X at Erica_Dybas.
