Campus Pride Month

April is Campus Pride Month

You might be asking yourself, why is April Campus Pride Month when we celebrate Pride in June? Across the nation, many colleges and universities celebrate Pride Month in April since a majority of students leave campus during the summer months. Some people refer to the month as GAYpril and others Pride Week or Campus Pride Month which we use at UND. It is a time to come together as a community and show support, pride, and help create a welcoming and affirming campus for LGBTQ+ students, faculty, and staff.

Campus Pride Month Events

• April 3 – Pride Brunch
• April 11 – LGBTQ+ Ally Workshop
• April 13 – Pride Yoga
• April 17 – Color with Pride
• April 25 – Lavender Graduation & Pride Awards
• May 5 – Pride Fest

Engaging in Allyship

In our society, it is easy to call our selves and ally when we have strong feelings or support of the LGBTQ+ community but the label along is not enough. We have to change our way of thinking, being an ally is an action; it is a a commitment of demonstrated support to actively combat systems of oppression and discrimination. Below are three tips in engaging in allyship.

1. Be open to learn, listen, and education yourself
   Part of being a supportive ally is building your own awareness an understanding of issues that impact LGBTQ+ people. Familiarize yourself with terminology, issues impact the community, history, intersectionality, and so much more. Listening is a huge part of the learning process. Take the time to listen to personal stories and ask respectful questions, you will find that people are willing to share and answer questions when it comes from a place of true desire to learn . However, know that you should not burden LGBTQ+ people with the responsibility to educate you, use your resources to build a foundation.
2. Check your privilege
   Most of us have some type of privilege, even those of us within the LGBTQ+ community. Whether it is racial, socioeconomic, educational, cis-gender, able-bodied, heterosexual or straight privilege, we all experience it at varying levels. However, this does not mean that you have not experienced challenges or struggles in your life, it just means that some aspects of our identity you do not have to think or worry about because of the way you were born. Understanding your own privilege can help you develop empathy and guide how you engage in allyship. Sometimes engaging in allyship means taking a step back and allowing people who have shared identities and experiences to hold their own spaces and knowing those spaces are not always for us and that is okay.
3. Do not make assumptions
   In our society, we like to make assumptions about people and put them into categories. We have to actively challenge ourselves so we are not making assumptions about peoples gender or sexuality. The language we use is important when it comes to interacting with our families, friends, co-workers, roommates, and more. We never want to put someone in a situation where they are uncomfortable or do not feel like they belong. Not making assumptions allows people the space to be their open and authentic selves.

For more information for support resources, community engagement opportunities, and information about the Pride Center, visit UND.edu/pridecenter.