Colorful nail polish, trendy tunes and dirty soda — the start of any great hangout. Jan. 30 Utah Tech’s LGBTQ+ Student Association gathered for a time-honored tradition: Nails & Mocktails.
Students met on the first floor of the Browning Student Resource Center, where they were greeted with customizable name tags and a self-serve soda bar with a variety of base sodas and syrups. Then, they were encouraged to socialize as they chose from a rainbow of nail polishes.
According to Mason Britton, president of the LGBTQSO and senior history major from Lake Havasu City, Arizona, this event was first held almost five years ago. Although typically a fall event, Britton wanted to see it held more often, as it often gets between 30 and 45 people.
“Nails and Mocktails has kind of become a historical event for the LGBTQSO. We do it every year, and it’s usually really popular,” Britton said. “I decided to make it a semi-annual thing, just to see how people would react in the spring. It’s usually a pretty big turnout.”
The event is one of the most popular events the organization holds, third only to the yearly Drag Show and Rocky Horror Picture Night.
Attendee Galileo Bates, a junior ASL English interpreting major from Cedar City, shared her thoughts on these kinds of events.
“It’s nice being in a space where other people understand and recognize [you]. It’s just unconditional love, and you know that there’s going to be acceptance,” Bates said. “That, to me, is super nice and comforting to know coming to an event.”
When she arrived at Utah Tech University, Bates explained that finding a space where she could be open about who she is was high on her priority list. Now, the association’s events have become a major part of her life.
“I think last semester, maybe there was only like two events that I missed,” Bates said, before explaining how she’d once rushed to an LGBTQSO event shortly after a car crash. “I was like, 30 minutes late, but I still showed up and was like, ‘I’m here!'”
As the event came to a close, members said their farewells and discussed who would be at the next event, Barbie Night. Future LGBTQSO events can be found on their Instagram or email newsletter.
“Come and have fun,” said Shyla Clark, vice president of the LGBTQSO and a sophomore psychology major from Soldotna, Alaska. “It doesn’t matter who you are or who you love. Just come have fun and hang out.”
