Students share how they celebrate pride in their everyday lives.
Having arrived for a family vacation in Orlando on June 12, sophomore Marie Oddo and her family were headed to Universal Studios. They were met with workers who had silver ribbons attached to their uniforms and visitors with rainbow stickers.
“I was just shocked that someone could do that to so many people, because he’s not only affecting them but he’s affecting the whole community and all of their families,” Oddo said.
Oddo saw firsthand the reactions that people in Orlando had as they mourned the deaths of their lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) brothers and sisters. Omar Mateen killed 49 people and injured at least 53 others in a gay night club called “The Pulse” in Orlando, Florida at around 2 a.m., according to CNN.com. Although repercussions of this were felt across the country, Orlando natives were the ones directly affected by this attack.
“You could tell the people who lived in Orlando were hurt by it a lot more than the tourists that were there,” Oddo said.
In 2015 Oddo attended KC Pride, an annual celebration of equality held at Berkley Riverfront Park during the month of June. Similar to what she felt in Orlando around the time of the shooting, Oddo said she appreciated the connectivity in the atmosphere at KC Pride.
Like Oddo, many students have begun fighting against injustices similar to the Orlando shooting by taking a stand for equality in the community. Sophomore Shannen Fahrnow said she celebrates Pride to show she is proud of who she is.
“We aren’t afraid … and we are proud to be the way we are and to love who we love, no matter what,” Fahrnow said.
With 220 shootings as of Aug. 4, according to gunviolencearchive.org, millennials like Fahrnow have become familiar with mass shootings. Fahrnow said she hopes that the shooting will change perspectives on violence in the community as well as the country.
“I hope that it shows younger people that violence is never the answer and that a human is still a human no matter what they decide to do with this life,” Fahrnow said. “I’m hoping it’ll show people that we are just as important as anyone else and that they have no right to tell us how to live.”
The Gay-Straight Alliance is not a stranger to the celebration of LGBT pride and has celebrated in the past with involvement in weekly meetings to discuss issues. Senior GSA member and representative Emily Magness said she was focused on sending her love and support to whomever needed it after the shooting while also celebrating pride in her community.
“I think it’s important to celebrate pride because it’s a remembrance of the LGBT people and activists from the past who didn’t have the rights that LGBT people have today and I think it’s also a celebration of how far LGBT rights have come,” Magness said. “And, of course, it’s a statement that LGBT people exist and they have a place in the community.”
The GSA hopes to continue spreading awareness through things like the rainbow door project they did last year.
“I think it might help people understand that LGBT people are people too, and that discrimination and hatred have no place at Southwest or in [Johnson County],” Magness said. “That being said, everyone has different beliefs and opinions, and they’re all totally valid.”
According to Magness, although the Orlando shooting may change some people’s minds about LGBT rights, the GSA has a primary goal.
“We’ve really just been focused on sending our love and support to whoever needs it,” Magness said.
