Amidst students’ hectic college lives, there exists a haven where diversity thrives and acceptance knows no bounds: the Pride Club. Here, students of all identities gather to forge connections, learn, and celebrate their authentic selves.
SUNY Cortland’s Pride Club provides a safe space for queer students but welcomes all to join, regardless of identity or background. Weekly meetings during the school year typically center around an educational or social topic that is relevant to the LGBTQ+ community, like sexual health and the importance of pronouns, among many others.
Pride Club has always facilitated fun, social events both on and off campus in order to foster community among its members. Previous events have included sleepovers, flag football games, Homecoming and Prom dances, as well as museum trips.
Pride Club members have even taken a yearly trip to New York City to visit historical LGBTQ+ sites like Stonewall Inn, a pivotal site in the struggle for queer rights.
The club’s latest Thursday meeting was slightly atypical as it was in preparation for the annual PRIDE Prom, which was scheduled for the next day. PRIDE Prom offers its attendees an opportunity to be a part of a time-honored American tradition as their authentic selves, without the fear of judgment, shame, or othering.
The week’s gathering was led by Dahlia, whose laid-back and reserved demeanor is juxtaposed with the boisterousness of its other members. The meeting begins with an icebreaker; one by one each member introduces themselves along with their pronouns and the last song that they listened to.
The Pride Club then came together to create a fun and queer-centric Spotify playlist for Prom based on various prompts. The room reverberated with laughter, shock, and awe as funny and off-the-wall song choices were proposed. The raucous meeting concluded with a reflective exercise wherein each member identified their highs and lows of the week. This is an opportunity to celebrate even the smallest victory and to share life’s many challenges in a supportive and affirming environment.
As the members slowly shuffled out of the room, I chatted with a few members to discuss why Pride Club is important and what it means to them.
Holly, a transfer student, has found some of her closest friends at Pride Club and she emphasized the supportive nature of the environment. When asked about why Pride Club is important in today’s divisive political and social landscape, Holly states, “There’s been a lot of backlash against just like existing as a person. Unfortunately, I have experienced that on this campus, so it is important to have a solid community to go back to.”
“There’s been a lot of backlash against just like existing as a person.”
Holly, Cortland student
Another student, Christina, stated “I believe that Pride is a very important place on campus because it is a safe space for people of all kinds of identities, sexualities, gender background, whatever. You can come and meet people and make friends and learn!”
In response to the rise of anti-legislation, Christina went on to say “It’s so important that these people are being seen and that they are supported and that they matter and that we want them.”
It’s evident that the Pride Club at SUNY Cortland plays a crucial role in providing support and community for its members. In a world where acceptance can be hard to find, this club offers a place where students can be themselves without judgment or fear, creating lifelong friendships along the way.
Pride Club meets each week at 7 PM in the Corey Union Voice Office, and welcomes all students to attend.