BY MOLLY ADAMSON
Campus will look a lot more colorful this week, as Rainbow Union puts on its annual Pride Week.
Pride Week is a week of events meant to bring awareness to LGBTQ issues and to celebrate the community.
“Pride Week is all about visibility,” said junior Kailyn Miller, president of Rainbow Union. “It’s more than just celebrating our diversity, but also acknowledging and respecting those who have paved the way, and also just acknowledging, how far we still have to go. We’ve made a lot of great strides here at Drake.”
Although Drake has made strides in a positive direction, the week is still a reminder of what is to come.
“It’s a reminder that no matter how much we’ve done, there’s still more to do,” said the group’s Vice President, junior Hannah Smith.
One of the main goals of the week is to spread awareness of the issues facing the LGBTQ community.
The drag show, held tonight at 9 p.m. in Parents Hall, will be a huge factor in that mission because it is an event that gets a lot of attention on campus.
“Drag has been such a big part of the queer movement for a long time, just because of how gender presentation is such a huge debated topic,” Miller said. “It’s just a way for people to celebrate, and to show that this is something they enjoy presenting and performing. For Drake in particular, since it is a fundraiser, it’s great outreach for us.”
The show will be free, but donations will go to Iowa Safe Schools, an anti-bullying campaign. Last semester, the show raised $320. This money sent a Gay Straight Alliance club to Iowa Safe School’s annual Governor’s Conference. The group is hoping to surpass that amount this time around.
Rainbow Union has a busy week ahead, but its activities for the semester are not limited to Pride Week.
The organization holds meetings every Wednesday at the CAYA (Come As You Are) House at 9 p.m.. At these meetings, topics related to the LGBTQ community are discussed, ranging from “queer in the law” to bullying.
Rainbow Union will also be hosting an “Other Prom” for high-schoolers in the Des Moines area who feel uncomfortable going to their own proms, whether that be because they aren’t allowed to bring who they want or to wear what they want.
The group will also be busy during Relays, as it will host an LGBTQ and allies lunch with the alumni that come back to Des Moines.
The brunch is on April 30, is free for all students and is $10 for alumni. It will be in the Turner Jazz Center from 9 to 11 a.m.
