From April 2, 2024 to April 30, 2024, ODU is holding its 3rd annual Pride Month event. ODU’s Pride celebrations are marked by several  on-campus events held primarily for students in the LGBTQ+ community and allies. 

Campus organizations ranging from ODU’s Sexuality and Gender Alliance (SAGA) and Asterisk, ODU’s trans advisory board, to the Women’s and Gender Equity Center are set to be involved. Student and faculty efforts help facilitate these events, both for planning and execution.

Each event’s theme is different, and no two events tread exactly the same ground. Some planned events include craft-making, a picnic, a prom event and an event for distributing pride-themed graduation tassels. Information about specific events and times is available from ODU’s official press release.

Andrew Garber, the coordinator for LGBTQIA+ Programs and Services at ODU’s Office of Student Engagement and Traditions, worked with the Women’s and Gender Equity center to establish the event in 2022. According to Garber, the event is held in April to give students a chance to celebrate before leaving for the summer. Pride month is typically observed in June, but most ODU students will have left at the beginning of May after the end of exam season.

One of the planned events is a prom dance for LGBTQ+ students and allies. For members of the ODU Sexuality and Gender Alliance, this dance carries a special significance. “Our Pride Prom, on April 12th (Friday) is a tradition that has existed well before the 1990s. [Therefore,] it is our responsibility to continue the tradition. Many LGBTQ+ people didn’t have positive experiences around the prom they had in high school, or simply didn’t get a prom due to the pandemic,” said a spokesperson for SAGA.

One LGBTQ+ event that isn’t on the ODU press release is a Trans Family Dinner held by SAGA, booked for the 18th of April. SAGA hopes to use this dinner to help connect students with trans-specific resources in the Newport News community. SAGA will be working alongside the Calos Coalition, a Virginia Beach-area nonprofit with a focus on the trans community. The Calos Coalition describes itself as “spreading trans joy by providing direct aid, connecting LGBTQIA+ folks with allies and promoting inclusive spaces.”

As exam season draws nearer, several of these events will help LGBTQ+ monarchs de-stress and have some fun celebrating their community, although all students are welcome at these events.