The Interviews in this article have been edited for length and clarity.
On Nov. 16, 2023, RVCC’s LGBTQ+ club, The Alliance, held their very first Pride Prom, and it was a night to remember. This campus prom had over 50 attendees, and proved to be a great success in celebrating diversity, individuality, and the LGBTQIA+ community as a whole.
Activities at the event included live music courtesy of the campus’ Open Mic Club, a Smash Brothers Tournament and Mario Kart hosted in collaboration with the Gaming Club, as well as a photobooth complete with pride flags and various props. Attendees were quick to create their own entertainment too, playing keep-it-up with balloons and dancing together to the amazing performances of all types of songs, ranging from “Creep” by Radiohead, to “Dancing Queen” by ABBA.
While it was clear to me that the LGBTQ+ community members and allies alike enjoyed the prom, I interviewed some attendees to get their specific opinions on the night. Here are their responses.
Interviewee #1: Calvin (he/him)
Q: What brings you to the pride prom?
A: Gayism, homosexuality. I like to see myself represented, and I like to be engaged in the school because I’m in student government.
Q: Why is it important to you that we have pride events, or party-like events on campus?
A: It’s important because representation matters, especially when you need to find ways to adapt to change. We’re back from COVID and there has to be this certain awareness of LGBT people.
Q: What has been your favorite moment or part of the prom so far?
A: Staying with friends, and the nice atmosphere.
Interviewee #2: Maggie (she/her)
Q: What brings you to the pride prom?
A: It seemed like a good time to hang out and not worry about how I present myself, because of the event’s open dress code.
Q: Why is it important to you that we have pride events, or party-like events on campus?
A: I never personally had to worry about being accepted, as not many people around me cared if I were a member of the community. Although I know lots of people didn’t get that experience, and didn’t feel safe or comfortable at their own proms, and some didn’t even go because of their identity, because they were queer or “not the norm”. Having these college events helps with social separation, because at college we are all very independent, and it’s nice to be able to get to do these things that we may not have been able to before.
Q: What has been your favorite moment or part of the prom so far?
A: The live music and getting to hang out with people! My mood improves whenever I’m around others.
Interviewee #3: Crow (they/them)
Q: What brings you to the pride prom?
A: I’m a member of the club (The Alliance), and have had a good time at previous events hosted by them, so deciding to come here was an easy choice.
Q: Why is it important to you that we have pride events, or party-like events on campus?
A: No matter where you are, LGBTQ+ people exist, and will continue to exist. Advocating for a community that is still alive and well is one of the best ways to not just emphasize human connections, but also to get involved in the community.
Q: What has been your favorite moment or part of the prom so far?
A: When groups of people got together to keep up the balloon. People were able to meet others they didn’t previously know, from this shared game.
As you can see, attendees of this event loved it. They enjoyed the community building aspects, live music, and socializing. They see events like these as important to advocating for, raising awareness of, and contributing to positive experiences for, LGBTQ+ individuals.
I also interviewed Kyran Fleischer, Zoey Lefkin and Lev Baab, the president, vice president, and vice president of info and media of the club, to get a look at their planning and thoughts on the event’s success. Here is what they had to say.
Q: What was your favorite moment(s) from the night?
Kyran: My favorite moment was the standing ovation I got after my speech. It made me feel really accomplished, because the event took a lot of work to plan, so it felt very nice to feel recognized. Another favorite moment was the floor time, and shoutout to the person who commanded us all like a ship captain.
Zoey: Listening to the music that I heard the Open Mic Club work on so much.
Lev: Talking to friends that I saw there.
Q: Do you plan to host this event again, or perhaps something similar? If so, what would you do differently?
Kyran: Not something as big, my time left as president won’t allow for that, though ideally we’d like to plan a bake sale in the spring to raise money for an LGBTQ charity.
Zoey: Yes, I would like to host something similar. We would tackle the catering differently, gather volunteers early, and host the event on a Friday so more people could attend.
Lev: I’d like this to be a more regular thing, and it would be cool to have it once a year.
Q: What inspired you to create, host, or help with this event?
Kyran: There’s a lot of discrimination in the world against LGBTQ people especially with the rise of conservatives creating or proposing anti LGBTQ laws. I wanted to create a safe space for everybody to have a good time and be proud of who they are. Zoey and I had been planning this since the spring semester because we really wanted to have some sort of big event and have some sort of party to celebrate those in the LGBTQ community.
Zoey: I didn’t go to my own prom and I thought of other queer people who didn’t go to their own prom as well. I saw a post from a friend whose college did something similar, and it flipped a switch because I wanted to do an event for this semester but couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do, so that was the sort of catalyst for it.
Lev: I was really excited when Zoey brought the idea to us because I know prom is something that a lot of people in the LGBTQ+ community miss out on or aren’t able to enjoy to the extent of their peers, for a variety of reasons. So hosting a prom that centers the community is a chance for people to finally gain this positive experience, and generally feel supported and celebrated!
Q: Some might find it unconventional to have video games at a prom. What made you decide to have them?
Kyran: That was Zoey’s decision. It started as a joke, but we decided it might be fun to cater to some of the gamers on campus. In addition, Zoey and I are in close contact with Serena, the President of Gaming Club, so it all worked out.
Zoey: It started as a bit, but I wanted to collaborate with more clubs, so I thought, why not make it a reality.
Lev: Conventional prom activities aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, so I thought it was a great idea to have more options for people to enjoy themselves! It also meant giving another club (The Gaming Club)! They had the opportunity to collaborate with us, which is something we valued a lot from the beginning.
Q: Is there anything else about the prom that you would like to mention that I have not asked about?
Kyran: Planning the prom and bringing everything into fruition definitely came with a lot of hurdles. I had no idea that the catering trays were going to be so small. There were also some hurdles with the Gaming Club not being able to make it to the actual event last minute. However, even though a lot of things went wrong, so many of them went right and the amount of happy reviews of the prom that I’ve received from people is really motivating and I’m really glad I was able to provide everybody with a nice experience. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t love it. I really hope to continue to create a safe space for people and create gatherings for people to socialize and have fun in the future.
Lev: Overall, I’m just so incredibly happy with how the event turned out, so proud of our officer team, and so grateful to anyone who contributed to Pride Prom in any manner. This was The Alliance’s first major event, and it has definitely inspired us to aim for hosting more in the future!
As an attendee of the event, I can say that the night was truly magical. It was truly heartwarming to see so many students, whether they be friends, classmates, or even strangers, enjoying each other’s company, and bonding over the celebration of expressing gender identity and sexual orientation. Each person at the event was included in one way or another, and had a great time. It is beyond clear to me, and to others I’m sure, that the officers of the Alliance Club put effort into this event to make it sucessful.
RVCC’s Alliance meets every Tuesday in S-353 during college hour, from 1:00 PM – 2:20 PM. They invite any and all LGBTQ+ community members and allies on campus to come celebrate diversity during their meetings, which often include social activities and educational experiences.
