About 350 UF students and community members applauded as members of the LGBTQ+ community shared their struggles and triumphs.
Sitting side-by-side in the University Auditorium on Thursday, they welcomed speakers, dancers, activists and multicultural groups to UF’s Pride Student Union’s 15th annual LGBTQ+ Welcome Assembly.
"I think the event proved how inclusive (the LGBTQ+ community is) and how they just want everyone to be themselves," said UF anthropology junior Emily Krichmar.
The 20-year-old said Bamby Salcedo, a Latino trans woman and the keynote speaker, was her favorite part of the event. She called Salcedo an inspiration, describing Salcedo’s genuine nature.
When she walked up to the stage, Salcedo told the audience to gather together as she pulled out her phone and took a selfie with the crowd.
She then began her speech.
"I am an empowered trans woman," she said.
She read a poem about her past struggles as a trans woman before sharing her continual battle with hate and misunderstanding.
On Aug. 26, Salcedo said she went to Target, where she was a victim of a hate crime. She said a person came out of nowhere saying hurtful and hateful things to her. She had to call police.
"I was able to stand up to not only the person who attacked me, but also the police — to educate them that this was a hate crime," Salcedo said.
When UF health education and behavior junior Shixiu Wang heard Salcedo’s stories, she said she was moved to tears.
The 20-year-old said this was the first PSU assembly she’d been to, and she plans to attend more.
"I think that (the event) has proved to the entire UF community and Gainesville community that queer is here and they are here to stay," she said. "And they can empower themselves, and we can help them with that to move forward."
At the end of Salcedo’s speech, she recorded a video for UF President Kent Fuchs, where she told him she wanted funds to be allocated to the LGBTQ+ community.
She called upon administrators who attended to raise their hands and promise to compel Fuchs to give.
With the event’s variety of ethnic performances, UF zoology freshman JD Graves said she was surprised to see the diversity of the community she thought of as one group. She didn’t realize the influence of other cultural connections on the LGBTQ+ community.
"There’s a group for everybody," the 24-year-old said.
Gabrielle Ricci, a 22-year-old UF psychology student, works the Wild Iris booth at the LGBTQ+ Welcome Assembly on Sept. 3, 2015. The assembly invited new students to be welcomed to the Gator Nation and learn about sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.
