For students who wanted to show their support for the LGBT community, the Multicultural Center located at the Library And The Learning Crossroads Building was the place to be.
LGBTQIA+ Spirit Day event on Thursday was different from other events held at the Multicultural Center because it was an all-day event for students who wanted to show their support for the LGBT community.
Student Services Assistant for the Multicultural Center Kimberly Onaga said that Spirit Day is an anti-bullying movement to support the LGBT community.
“The Multicultural Center’s goal is to create a safe space for all individuals by showing support and awareness for the movement,” Onaga said. “We want our students to know that they are not alone and that they have allies that will support them and stand against bullying.”
Those who walked into the Multicultural Center were greeted by a white board that read “Spirit Day is the world’s most visible anti-bullying movement supporting LGBTQIA+ youth.”
People took sticky notes, wrote messages about what the cause means to them and posted them on the white board. The notes were posted anonymously.
“It is important to support LGBTQ+ youth because there are people who spread hate, so we should spread love,” one note said.
Another note expressed the support between different generations of LGBT members.
“Dear LGBTQIA+ Youth, your queer elders treasure you. Your thriving is our thriving,” the note read.
The Multicultural Center also had artwork from the LGBT community and books regarding the topic of same-sex relationships.
Spirit Day was selected by the Multicultural Center to support and acknowledge members of the LGBT community and their struggles, according to Onaga.
“The Multicultural Center’s goal is to be inclusive of all diverse people, and the LGBT community is a big part of that,” Onaga said. “Bullying is a big problem in the community. Suicide rates are high, so we want to create a safe space for them.”
Engineering major Malcolm Lovelace explained the outcome he hopes the event will have on people’s attitude and why he believes the event is important.
“It is important to take part in LGBTQ events because not everyone in the world cares about these people,” Lovelace said. “I hope that people will not only become less homophobic, but will also become allies. Not just ignoring it but also standing up for LGBTQ people.”
ASO Treasurer Nati Jatana said that a reason students should go to Spirit Day is because of the welcoming hands.
“There could be opposing factors in different places so some people might not be able to walk out of their comfort zone,” Jatana said. “Supporting the LGBTQ community is a very big thing because it was demeaning a couple years ago, and now there are changes to where it is not being discouraged.”
For Jatana, the event is also about helping people figure out who they are.
Similar hopes for the event were shared by Onaga.
“We hope that our students are able to find a sense of belonging, strength and empowerment,” Onaga said.