Pride Student Union will host a three-week program to celebrate inclusivity and teach students about transgender people.
On Monday, the club kicked off the week with an informational session. Next Monday, they will give a presentation on the history of transgender people and their treatment at a meeting in Ustler Hall at 8 p.m., said Taylor Baker, 22, the president of Pride Student Union and a trans woman.
On Nov. 20, the organization will host a service for Transgender Day of Remembrance, a nationally observed day, Baker said.
“(The service) has a lot of emotion in a room,” Nate Quinn, the vice president of the organization, said. “Sometimes it’s too much; I worry it’ll go wrong.”
Quinn, 19, said he will go home to Sarasota the day of the service, being held to memorialize those killed as a result of transphobia, which is prejudice against transsexual or transgender people, he said.
Quinn, a trans man, said he will spend the day avoiding large crowds and emotional settings.
Baker admits speaking about transgender issues can be hard when the audience isn’t receptive. She knows students aren’t always there because they want to be.
“(Students) come out because they get extra credit for class,” she said. “It’s a little frustrating.”
Her main goal is to educate, she said. She strives to encourage students to promote inclusiveness, especially in how they speak.
“I think it’s an important thing to make the world safer,” she said.
