The University of Wisconsin-Platteville is organizing virtual events throughout June, national Pride Month, to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community.
According to Elliott Parsons, coordinator of the UW-Platteville Doyle Center for Gender and Sexuality, this Pride Month will look different than any previous year, as recent national events provide opportunities for the LGBTQ+ community and allies to support the Black Lives Matter movement and explore the movement’s intersectionality.
“Pride definitely looks different this year, and one of the biggest considerations this year was around the Black Lives Matter movement,” said Parsons. “LGBTQ+ history is embroidered with black history and with this in mind, we have included an event intended to showcase the interconnections these two communities have. In addition to this, we have come up with events, such as Spirituality in the LGBTQ+ Community, to bring together two communities that have historically been seen as incompatible.”
Upcoming events organized by the UW-Platteville Doyle Center for Gender and Sexuality include:
- Spirituality in the LGBTQ+ Community; Wednesday, June 17, noon-1 p.m.
- Cups and Conversation; Tuesday, June 23, noon-1 p.m.
- Surviving an Unwelcoming Home Environment; Wednesday, July 8, noon-1 p.m.
- Intersections of race and LGBTQ+ Identity; Wednesday, July 15, noon-1 p.m.
- Virtual Ally Training; Tuesday, July 21, 9-11 a.m.
“Our top goal is bringing people together and showing people the vast diversity of the LGBTQ+ movement throughout history,” said Parsons. “I hope people can take away that this is an intersectional movement that leaves no one behind.”
For more information on each event and to register, contact Parsons at parsonse@uwplatt.edu. For more information on the Doyle Center for Gender and Sexuality, visit www.uwplatt.edu/department/patricia-doyle-center-gender-and-sexuality.