Iris Snapp
Contributing Writer
isnapp@murraystate.edu
Contributing Writer
isnapp@murraystate.edu
For the second year in a row the Murray State LGBTQ+ community will celebrate Pride Week, emphasizing self expression, LGBT history
and activism.
and activism.
Murray State Pride Week, which runs from Sept. 30 through Oct. 4, will feature fun and empowering opportunities for the campus
community to enjoy. The week also offers educational and health-based
programs with an emphasis on inclusivity.
community to enjoy. The week also offers educational and health-based
programs with an emphasis on inclusivity.
“Pride Week is a celebration of all people and all the identities they come in,” M.C. Lampe, LGBT+ coordinator, said.
The week will begin with a screening of the film “The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson.” Johnson was a transgender activist for
AIDS victims. She was present at the Stonewall riots, one of the first large protests for equality of the LGBT+ community. The movie is
scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in the Barkley Room of the Curris Center.
The week will begin with a screening of the film “The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson.” Johnson was a transgender activist for
AIDS victims. She was present at the Stonewall riots, one of the first large protests for equality of the LGBT+ community. The movie is
scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in the Barkley Room of the Curris Center.
Tuesday, Oct. 1, will be the first of two days of free HIV screenings provided by the Graves County Health Department. The
screening will be located in the Ohio Room of the Curris Center from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
screening will be located in the Ohio Room of the Curris Center from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
“It’s a great thing for the health of the campus as a whole,” Elise Abbott, a junior from Indianapolis, Indiana, said.
The day will also include Safe Zone training, which creates safe spaces for LGBT+ people, while also teaching professors and staff
how to be allies for the community. LGBT+ Bingo will be hosted in the Ohio Room of the Curris Center at 7 p.m.
how to be allies for the community. LGBT+ Bingo will be hosted in the Ohio Room of the Curris Center at 7 p.m.
On Wednesday, Oct. 2, at 5 p.m. there will be Inclusive Sex Education to teach attendees, specifically members of LGBT+ community,
what they were not taught in school. The lesson will be on Wednesday, Oct. 2 at 5 p.m. in room 249 of the Blackburn Science Building. Queer Karaoke and Jackbox Game Night will immediately follow in the same room. Everyone is invited for a night of singing and fun.
It will be a great chance to make friends and meet new people while seeing who’s the best at board games.
what they were not taught in school. The lesson will be on Wednesday, Oct. 2 at 5 p.m. in room 249 of the Blackburn Science Building. Queer Karaoke and Jackbox Game Night will immediately follow in the same room. Everyone is invited for a night of singing and fun.
It will be a great chance to make friends and meet new people while seeing who’s the best at board games.
Thursday, Oct. 3, will be the last day for free HIV screenings. That day is also the Body Positive Pool Party, which is open to all, especially those who were too afraid before. The pool party, which will be held at the Wellness Center from 6 to 8 p.m., is put on by Campus Recreation and LGBT Programming.
“It’s great because LGBTQ+ feel that they are very left out,” Mason Richardson, a sophomore from Louisville, Kentucky, said. “With this, they can make up those things they missed out on.”
Friday, Oct. 4, is the day of Pride Prom, a night for everyone to get dressed up and have a prom without being told what to wear. It
is open to everyone from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in the Curris Center Ballroom. The night will be full of positive vibes and music.
is open to everyone from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in the Curris Center Ballroom. The night will be full of positive vibes and music.
Along with all of these events, the week is meant for the LGBT+ community to be their unapologetic selves and know that at
Murray State they have a place to go and feel comfortable with who they are. The week commemorates those who made sacrifices for the
progress of LGBT+ rights and shows that there is still work to be done for a better future.
Murray State they have a place to go and feel comfortable with who they are. The week commemorates those who made sacrifices for the
progress of LGBT+ rights and shows that there is still work to be done for a better future.
“We are really fortunate to be on a campus that allows us to celebrate those things, and we have progress to make, but we are
moving in the right direction,” Lampe said.
moving in the right direction,” Lampe said.