The final event put on by the LGBTQ+ Student Organization was the Queer Prom, a fun opportunity to relax and party with friends before finals week.
HB 261’s ruling within the past year has affected the club’s resources, but the club members shared their gratitude that the LGBTSO is still standing and a safe space for students.
Some members of the club arrived an hour early to help set up the event. They brought snacks, threw streamers to hang from the ceiling and blew up balloons. The party was small, but it was perfect for a group of friends to get together before finals. Around 20 people came to dance and enjoyed each other’s company.
Mason Britton, a junior social science education major from Lake Havasu, Arizona, is a member of the LGBTQSO club. Britton said the restricted resources have affected other clubs, but they are glad that the LGBTQSO is still around because it is a space where people can be themselves.
Britton said: ”I saw first-hand how it affected people, then the Center of Inclusion and Belonging was dissolved last summer, it honestly devastated a bunch of people… A lot of incoming club presidents weren’t able to support their clubs because they didn’t know what they were doing, and they didn’t have the resources available. I’m really grateful that this club didn’t go under.”
The president of the LGBTQSO, Peyton Cottrell, a senior history major from Houston, said HB 261 has affected the club by putting more pressure on them to do more themselves since the LGBTQ+ Resource Center has been dissolved. Before, the resource center helped the club put on events like the Lavender Graduation, but this year, it all falls to the LGBTQSO club.
Cottrell said: “The biggest change is delegation because in previous years we had the LGBTQ+ Resource Center… they put on a lot of events for us… but since that has been taken away, we have been asked to take on all the extra load… It’s a lot more pressure on us, I would say.”
Mars Tankard, a psychology major from Yuba, California, and member of the LGBTQSO club, said HB 261 can’t really affect clubs, and that is important because having spaces where people can be themselves is vital.
Tankard said: “[For] me personally, [HB 261] is a bit much, but it’s important that we have spaces like this, like the LGBTQSO. [HB 261] can’t really target clubs as much, and I’m grateful for that… I think even a smaller space is still important for the marginalized groups affected.”
Britton said: “I like seeing everyone come together at the end of the year. It’s a stressful season with finals, so it’s good to have a little breather.”
