LGBTQ+ students joined together on the evening of Oct. 23 to celebrate their identities in the Q Center’s annual OUTober pride march.

October was designated LGBTQ+ History Month after a Missouri teacher, Rodney Wilson, spearheaded the initiative in 1994 to bring queer history into the public eye and demonstrate to queer people across the country that there are communities where they are welcome. Each year, the Q Center celebrates October with events throughout the month. This year, events included pronoun button-making, an asexual and aromantic identities panel and a Halloween “Rocky Horror Picture Show” watch party.

This year’s pride march began on the Peace Quad, where attendees were welcomed to speak about their experiences with their LGBTQ+ identity. Mansha Rahman, a student manager at the Q Center and a junior double-majoring in art and design and Spanish, kicked off the speeches by talking about their experience working at the Q Center.

“I never thought there would be a space one day where I could just be queer and be here,” Rahman said. “I remember when I first came to Binghamton University, and my orientation, when I found out about the Q Center and I found out about all these things they did, I was like, ‘I have to work here,’ ‘I have to be here.’”

This sentiment was shared by others. Jewel Jenkins, a junior majoring in computer science, mentioned that, as someone who had gone to private religious schools for most of their life, coming to BU was the first time they saw other queer people freely expressing themselves.

“I just never saw people who were very [outwardly] queer and unapologetically themselves without fear,” Jenkins said. “I feel like the Q Center offers a space where people can talk about their queer experiences with other people who are like-minded and won’t judge them for it.”

Once the speeches concluded, marchers gathered signs touting slogans like “Say Gay” and “OUT and About” and began their route around campus. With them, they wheeled a wagon with a speaker blasting music by queer artists like Lady Gaga and Chappell Roan.

During the event, many said the most useful tools to combat hate are visibility and awareness. Eddie Stakelum, a second-year master’s student and an LGBTQ+ living community graduate assistant, shared his experiences as a queer student on campus.

“I’ve had a really positive experience with the Q Center,” Stakelum said. “I feel like being in a job that is brand-new and you never know which way it’s going to go, is super stressful, but you know, every step of the way has been so much fun. I’ve really been able to find out more about myself through it.”

The Q Center’s employees and attendees were loud and proud as they marched. As OUTober comes to a close, the Q Center hopes to continue to bring awareness to the struggles of the queer community, history and the resources available on campus.