The Myatt Center for Diversity and Inclusion hosted the LGBTQIA+ flag raising in front of the Marvin K. Peterson Library. Sam Ortiz, the Myatt Center director, introduced everyone to the event before bringing out the first speaker, Barbara Lawrence, who is the vice president for institutional equity and inclusion.
Lawrence thanked the audience for coming to the event before asking everyone to have a moment of silence for members of the LGBTQIA+ community who laid down their lives to help others acknowledge the community.
Once that moment was over, Lawrence then encouraged those in attendance to celebrate this month with life and joy, along with the hardships faced by the LGBTQIA+ community. “For those of you who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community, I am part of that family as well,” said Lawrence. “I want to celebrate life. I want us to acknowledge the challenges and the struggles that we all continue to go through here.”
She then read aloud a quote from the late Audre Lorde, her favorite writer who was also a famous American poet, intersectional feminist and civil rights activist.
The quote read, “When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.”
Lawrence finished her speech by asking everyone to “fearlessly” go out and celebrate the month and to acknowledge “those that are still out here.”
The next two speakers were student leaders, the first one being AJ Stack, a junior criminal justice major and the secretary of PRIDE.
Stack started their speech off by saying that the Pride flag “is a symbol of unity, diversity and inclusion within the LGBTQ+ community, recognizing that people within our community have a wide range of identities and experiences. It promotes understanding and support for all individuals regardless of their gender identity, sexual orientation and background.”
Stack then went into talking about their experiences as a transgender person and how their coming out required resilience, persistence, perseverance and determination.
“The intense pressure to cater to binary standards while making others comfortable with my identity tore me to pieces,” said Stack. “Nothing worried me more than [the] negative reactions of others knowing I’m [transgender] every time my identity was invalidated, and my heart was crushed and I shut down.”
However, Stack said he had overcome these challenges and realized that he was transitioning for no one but themself. “I am my own definition of [transgender]… I don’t owe anyone an explanation regarding my identity,” said Stack. “Most importantly those who care for me will see me for who I am, regardless of how I present myself.”
Stack then directed their speech to people in the transgender community and told them to remember how powerful they are despite the world being against them.
The next speaker was Destiny Ray, a senior cybersecurity and networks major and president of PRIDE. Ray started her speech off by saying, “Growing up, I felt the weight of societal expectations and norms pressing down on me.”
Ray further said that that internalized pressure had told her to hide who she truly was and it forced her to carry that burden throughout her childhood. She also said that this was something that many members of the LGBTQIA+ community felt as well.
Ray also talked about how there is a lot of fear within the LGBTQIA+ community, specifically fear of being rejected or becoming a victim of hate crimes. “[LGBTQIA+] History Month is not only about celebrating our rich and diverse history,” said Ray. “It’s about acknowledging the struggles discrimination that many individuals have faced and continue to face.”
Some advice that Ray gave to the audience was to create an inclusive environment on campus. Ray advised everyone to respect pronouns, ask for someone’s pronouns, use someone’s correct pronouns and to share your pronouns wherever you go.
“This simple act goes a long way and validating someone’s gender identity [means to] be an advocate, not just an ally,” said Ray.
The final speaker of the event was Ortiz, who talked about how society will try to put everyone into a box when it comes to their identities, with some of those people being from the LGBTQIA+ community. “There’s an opportunity for everyone, regardless of your personal identity, to be more clear simply by challenging what society tells us we’re supposed to be for the comfort of others,” said Ortiz.
Ortiz told the audience to “express yourself in your most authentic, loving way possible.”
After the speeches, the leaders who spoke helped raise the LGBTQIA+ history month flag was raised.