Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer students will celebrate their history and progress this week.
UF LGBT Affairs and the Pride Student Union are honoring Pride History Week and hoping to educate students on the community’s history and help LGBTQ+ students feel accepted, said Carolyna Guillen, 20, internal vice president of PSU.
"It is about us standing together as a queer community and saying, ‘This is who we are, and this is what we stand for,’" the UF microbiology and cell science junior said.
Tonight at the Institute of Hispanic-Latino Cultures (La Casita), PSU will show the film "The Way He Looks," which follows the life of a blind and gay teenager. Guillen said people don’t often see someone with disabilities in the queer community.
Jim Obergefell, lead plaintiff in the marriage-equality Supreme Court case, will speak Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the University Auditorium, she said.
PSU will host its annual Drag Ball on Friday, where students will sing, dance and show off how vibrant they are, Guillen said.
"This is a time for people to come into their own skin and further solidify who they are," Guillen said. "As long as we stay silent, nothing will get done."
UF Spanish and advertising senior Rachel Eisen, a programming director for UF Pride Awareness Month, said the week encourages students to be comfortable with who they are.
"This week is great because, whatever you’re trying to figure out, whether it’s your sexual identity or your gender identity, it’s all awesome," the 21-year-old said.
