By Anna Liu
“Any abuse or prejudice toward another because of nationality, race, sexual orientation, gender, educational degrees, culture, or other significant identifiers is offensive to our Maker!” — President Russell M. Nelson
Rainbow Week is an annual event that Pride Club hosts to lead up to National Coming Out Day on October 11. If you saw colorful chalk drawings throughout campus or friendly faces wearing face paint, that’s why! If you missed out, that’s okay. There’s always next year’s events (and you can always support the club year round)! 🙂
Did you know the month of October is LGBTQIA+ History Month? In the spirit of that, I interviewed senior Haven Ritz (they/them), the president of Pride Club. In honor of how much this month means to them, Haven shared, “Knowing about the people who came before us, for anyone, is so important. It means a lot to see where our community has come from, and all that sacrificed to get us where we are today. Of course, things aren’t perfect, but during our history month, I like to slow down and appreciate the comforts I have thanks to their sacrifices, as well as honor their memory. History itself is inherently queer, and so many people have no idea. Knowing the history helps fight against the false notion that queer identity is a ‘trend.’”
Southern Virginia’s very own Pride Club started in 2016 in response to the levels of harassment that LGBTQIA+ students were facing on campus. Since then, a lot of progress has been made. Now, they’re one of the largest clubs on campus. Haven said, “I joined the club my first semester freshman year and I’ve been an active member and volunteer every year since, so being its current president means a lot. Being the president, I do feel a lot of pressure — there’s this idea I carry that the whole LGBTQ community on campus is depending on us and that I’m responsible for them, from their mental well-being to being their advocate in important spaces. There’s a lot of meetings, planning, and negotiating going on behind the scenes at Southern Virginia University, and then maintaining active relationships with important Rockbridge community organizations.” It’s inspiring to hear that the person in charge cares so deeply!
If you want to be an ally to the LGBTQIA+ community, but you aren’t sure where to start, Haven has a few ideas. They said, “Being an ally entails a few things. If you are in these spaces as an ally, you have to keep in mind that there’s likely a lot of hurt that your LGBTQ+ loved ones are going through. Be a listener instead of inserting your own opinions. Do what you can to educate yourself without using your loved one as a resource. But when it comes down to it, as long as you are approaching your ally ship with unconditional love and an open mind, that’s all we ask.”
I told Haven that someone reading this article may be questioning their sexual or gender identity and asked if they had any words of advice for those people. They said, “First, take a deep breath. This process can be really overwhelming, but it’ll be ok. It’s honestly a never ending journey of self discovery. There’s a lot of pressure to pick a label and stick with it, but you won’t know right away how you identify and that’s ok. Take the time to research, reach out, and sit with what you discover about yourself. What matters most is how you feel in your own skin. I could go on and on, but I’ll keep it short. Essentially, every journey is different, and Pride Club is always a resource you can turn to for help during your journey.”
Speaking with Haven affirmed for me what a friendly, welcoming community Pride Club is. If you want to join Pride Club, message their Instagram to be put on the emailing list. Most of their events are open to the whole school, but they also have weekly meetings that focus on community building and other discussions!
Pride Club: For the Guys, Gals, and Non-binary Pals was originally published in The Herald on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
