PRIDE celebrated its 10 year anniversary on the University of New Haven campus Friday, Oct. 12 in the Bixler/ Gerber quad. Special guests came, including the student bands Cool Cool Okay Cool, and Crystal Clear, Monsoon Dance Crew, comedians, professional drag queens. Various Connecticut PRIDE centers and LGBTQIA+ healthcare centers tabled and gave out information about their cause.

Started in 2008, the People Rejoicing in Diversity Everywhere (PRIDE) has encouraged acceptance at the university, promoted pride in the community, created a safe and nurturing environment for all students and educated the university community.

“I have been a part of PRIDE since my freshman year and have seen it grow from 15 active members to over 50,” said PRIDE President Terrell Cantave. “Being a part of PRIDE is like being in a family, full of support and enjoyment from the people around you.”

They have formed alliances to support their community, received recognition on campus, and even had an LGBTQIA+ flag raised in the library quad for National Coming Out Day.

The anniversary was a celebration, but it was also meant as a thank you to the campus community for their support.

“Without the help from students, staff, RSOs, and the campus in general, we would have never had the opportunities we have today,” said Cantave.

Cantave and other members hope the organization continues to grow so that their 20 year anniversary can be even bigger and better. Not only are they looking for growth, but they are hoping that even more of the campus will become one of their allies.

“People often assume that you need to be gay, lesbian, trans, etc. to be apart of PRIDE, that is simply not true, we accept everybody regardless of sexual orientation and love the support we receive from our straight allies,” said Cantave. “I hope that in 10, 15, even 20 years from now, this will be common knowledge and there will be more allies in PRIDE.”

PRIDE holds their meetings on Wednesdays at 9 P.M. in Henry C. Lee 301.