During the month of October students and staff involved with Bucknell’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) organized events and programs for the celebration of LGBTQ+ History Month.
GSA is a student organization on campus that works throughout the year to foster community while hosting various types of events. This year, the initiatives laid out by GSA are to “create a sense of pride in being a member of GSA,” “collaborate with other student organizations and CAS,” “balance between education and enjoyment” and “[bridge] the gap between breakout groups and general meetings.”
Around 150 Bucknell students are members of GSA, and the executive board is made up of seven students. The 2023-24 board includes Iona Pitkin ’25 as President, Kelsey Werkheiser ’25 as Vice President, Spencer Howell ’24 as Treasurer, Gil Alvarado ’25 as Event Chair, Elie Bukowski ’26 as Community Chair, Felicity McLain ’26 as Advocacy Chair and Lyndon Beier ’27 as First Year Representative.
Every week, GSA hosts general meetings for GSA members as well as identity breakout groups. The breakout groups meet weekly in the LGBTQ+ Lounge in the ELC room 302. Identities with breakout groups include Queer Athletes; Queer Women; Queer Men; Queer and Trans People of Color (QTPOC); Bi, Pan, and Queer etc. (BPQ+) and Gender (Space for transgender, gender non-conforming, questioning and allied persons). Students who align with breakout group identities are invited to join the weekly meetings.
Asexual and Aromantic (Ace/Aro) is also a Breakout Group. During the week of Oct. 22-28, Ace Week was also celebrated. This time focuses on a celebration for Asexual Awareness, and the GSA general meeting for the week featured a correlated information session.
Specific events throughout October to celebrate the month included Vogue ’N Learn and Drag Loteria. Hosted in conjunction with The Bisonettes Dance Team on Oct. 14 was the Vogue ’N Learn. This featured learning about the dance history of Vogue as well as discussing it in relation to the Queer, Black and Brown Ballroom culture of New York City. Basic introductions to Vogue moves and steps were also taught. The event was a warm up for an upcoming event with a professional instructor from the ball scene.
Drag Loteria was hosted on Oct. 15 as a sponsored event with the Latin Alliance for Community and Opportunity for Students (LACOS). The event took place in Uptown and featured Loteria, a Latine game. Free food as well as prizes were available to students who attended the event. Hosts of the game were Alonya Chest and Alizee LaDiamond.
Each year the Office of LGBTQ Resources sponsors the “Celebrate Difference” t-shirt campaign and community photo. The office makes t-shirts available for students and staff the weeks before International Coming Out Day (ICOD). International Coming Out Day is observed each year on Oct. 11. Coming together, members of the Bucknell Community wore their shirts on Oct. 12 and gathered in front of Rooke Science for the annual “Celebrate Difference” photo.
