STATESBORO — The Office of Multicultural Affairs is hosting the annual Pride Week at Georgia Southern to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community with different events throughout the week, starting on October 5.

“Like all minoritized groups, celebrating queer identities is important because they need to know they are welcome and valued in our community,” said Ryan Moguel, the Office of Multicultural Affairs coordinator for multicultural services.

Moguel said LGBTQ+ people face a lot of issues and struggles on a daily basis so any time the university can connect and build community is important.

“I think it’s important to affirm the experiences of our students and to provide space to celebrate them and their full identities and so I appreciate the fact that that institution is doing this, we absolutely stand in support of our local organization which of course is Boro Pride,” said TaJuan Wilson, the associate vice president of inclusive excellence and chief diversity officer.

Alexis Southward is a senior multimedia journalism student at Georgia Southern and is a part of the LGBTQ+ community.

“I feel like it would be such an amazing thing because very little do we see LGBTQ representation/support on campus,” Southward said, “Out of all events and awarenesses and supporting causes I see around, it’s rarely any tailored around LGBTQ+ so seeing something that sheds a positive light on our community would make me and I hope others feel special and truly appreciated.”

The Office of Multicultural Affairs celebrates the LGBTQ+ community every year in a variety of different events. In November, they will be observing Trans* Day of Remembrance with a variety of programs, said Moguel.

“Our goal is to let LGBTQ+ students know they are welcomed, loved and valued here on campus. Additionally, we want to provide educational opportunities for the community to learn about these identities,” said Moguel.

Moguel gave a description of what each event will consist of this week:

Monday is National Coming Out Day via social media. Students can post photos of themselves showing their pride with the hashtags #GSComingOut and #OMACARES.

Tuesday, the Diversity Peer Educators are hosting their dialogue event, Talk Tuesday, on the topic of LGBTQ+ rights and issues.

Wednesday, they will be holding a storytelling workshop to discuss queer stories and share tips on how to better share your LGBTQ+ story.

Thursday, the office will be holding a Student Safe Zone training so students can learn more about LGBTQ+ identities and how they can be better allies to the community.

Also on Thursday, the Office of Student Activities is hosting a viewing of Hairspray the movie in the Ogeechee Theater on the Armstrong campus. There is limited seating and concessions will be provided.

Finally, on Friday the office is hosting Pride Prom. There will be a DJ playing music all night, and students can join virtually from their rooms to enjoy.

All events except the Hairspray viewing are virtual. Students can sign up for the virtual events at the QR code attached to the marketing flyer on their website.