Desi LaPoole
Features Editor
When you think of prom, images of slick tuxes, extravagant dresses and awkward encounters with dates may come to mind. However, for queer teens, this idealistic vision of what a prom experience should be isn’t always obtainable.
Queer teens do not always have the opportunity to go to prom, and if they do, they might be subjected to situations and environments that do not allow them to have a positive, memorable experience. This is where Robin Perry ’20 saw an opportunity to recreate the prom some might not have had in the form of tonight’s Queer Prom.
Queer Prom is a semi-formal or casual dance party that is hosted by the College’s LGBTQ+ organizations Queer People of Color (QPoC), Queer Student Union (QSU) and Safe Zone, the College’s campus-wide training program, as the first in what they hope will be many more collaborative events. The primary goal of Queer Prom is to provide queer students with the opportunity to attend a prom that is open and accepting of who they are, regardless of sexuality or gender identity and expression.
“This idea I think in the end is the more important one as I’ve had people come up to me and say, ‘I can finally have a prom where I can go with my girlfriend’ or ‘I can dress how I really wanted to at my high school prom.’ I think that part is truly important for queer students here as individuals,” Perry stated.
It is not unheard of within the LGBTQ+ community for queer teens to deal with overbearing heteronormativity when the prom season comes around. In some cases, queer teens are not “out” to their schools, and, in an effort to avoid negativity from peers and possibly teachers, feel as if bringing a date to the dance is off the table.
Trans and non-binary students may face strict dress code regulations that forbid them from wearing outfits that align with their gender identity. Others face discrimination from their schools, having to navigate exclusionary policies that do not, for example, allow same-sex couples at the dance or have toxic environments that would threaten their safety. For these reasons and more, queer students might not go to their prom, or might not have had the experience that they would have liked.
This is where Queer Prom provides a “second chance” for students to have the experience they wanted at the traditional formal dance. “It gives everyone the chance to have another prom, but this time with the partner they truly want, or in the outfit they were meant to wear, in a space where they feel safe and not have to constantly check their behavior for fear of being berated,” said Marcel Elkouri ’21, secretary of QPoC.
The idea for a queer prom came from Perry, a Safe Zone facilitator, while they were attending Camp Pride, an LGBTQ+ leadership academy for undergraduate students, with representatives Zizia Swan ’21 of QSU and Elkouri.
“When I was trying to come up with something for Safe Zone, QSU and QPoC to collaborate on over the summer, I was trying to come up with an event that could bring us all together so the three could start working together more in the future,” said Perry.
Having the three organizations collaborate for this event is a big step towards improving relations between the queer organizations on the College’s campus, especially between QSU and QPoC. According to Elkouri, QPoC was initially formed at a time when some people of color did not feel that QSU was a safe space for them. Since then, the relationship between the two organizations has been distant if not strained. However, since last year, the leaders of QSU and QPoC have made efforts to come together for the College’s larger queer community.
“It’s a given that, as people of color and domestic minorities, we face unique struggles that intersect with our queer identities,” Elkouri said. “This is a fact that the new members of QSU have accepted and have worked diligently to acknowledge.”
Their efforts to bridge their relationship has helped them take a step forward with the creation of Queer Prom, something they plan on being the first of many future collaborative events hosted by QSU, QPoC and Safe Zone.
Co-president of QPoC Cesar Lopez ’21 stated, “Working with Safe Zone and the QSU has been an awesome opportunity to collaborate together on a project that benefits the queer community on campus.”
Queer Prom is expected to be a fun and safe space that every student is welcome and encouraged to attend tonight.
Queer Prom will take place on Sept. 7 in Douglass Hall basement from 9:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.