Sunshine and pride filled Centennial Common Oct. 4 as the NU LGBTQA Resource Center hosted a flag-raising ceremony to celebrate the start of LGBTQ+ History Month. The event featured speeches from the resource center leaders, as well as a poem read by a student artist to a crowd of over 50 people.
The flag was raised as a part of the resource center’s month-long celebration, coined “Outober,” which aims to recognize and commemorate the history and accomplishments of the LGBTQ+ community. Upcoming events include workshops, Wednesday Coffee Hours, Queer Prom and a film festival.
The ceremony began with an introduction from Kevin Vetiac, director of Northeastern’s LGBTQA Resource Center.
“October for us is Outober — it is the month where we celebrate LGBTQIA+ history and we raise the pride flag,” Vetiac said. “We’ll be here the whole month.”
Suubi Magoola, a second-year computer science and animation combined major, read a poem titled “Change my Mind.”
“It is about my first experience with queer love and because no identity exists in a void,” Magoola said regarding their work. “It also speaks on my experience being a Black person and an artist.”
“It really meant a lot to me,” Magoola said about performing their poem. “More than just the relationship that I had dedicated it towards, but also as a representation of my experience as a Black queer individual.”
Magoola also shared their appreciation for the flag raising event.
“It was fantastic. I was a little concerned about whether or not there’d be a crowd, but people came through and it was awesome, just watching the flag go up was inspiring,” Magoola said. “I feel like there is more than just the aesthetic of seeing the pride flag in Centennial, it’s what it represents. We are here and we are not going anywhere. We are not hiding, we are not keeping to ourselves, we are in the middle of campus and no one can say otherwise.”
AK Wright, a postdoctoral fellow in Africana studies and women, gender, and sexuality studies, told the crowd what the ceremony and their position meant to them.
“I knew how important it was for me to have had folks I could go to for career advice, life advice or to just simply sit in a corner of their office while eating their candy,” Wright said. “I hope to pay forward all the support that allowed me to be where I am today.”
Reflecting on the significance of safe and inclusive spaces, Wright called out to the Northeastern community.
“Educational spaces have become battlegrounds for queer and trans students across the country, which makes affirming campuses like this one so important,” Wright said. “It is up to us, whatever identity we hold, to make this world a place where one can joyfully say or not say who they are on their own terms. Whether one is out to a few folks, loud and proud on social media or still determining who they are, I hope this is a celebration where all of our spirits are uplifted and nourished.”
Wright spoke to The News about their career journey and the weight of seeing the pride flag rise on Centennial Common.
“It was a really incredible experience, primarily because one of the reasons I became a professor was to be able to be a visibly queer and trans professor and to support and mentor students,” Wright said.” Being a part of events like this where, I can affirm that this is an accepting campus, a campus where students can feel safe and supported and wanted — It feels like I’ve been working towards this my whole career,” Wright said.
Several students paused their commutes across campus to stop by the flag-raising ceremony out of curiosity or support for the queer community.
“We walked out of the building and saw people and heard the speeches, and we were like, ‘Oh, what’s going on?’” said Iris Kaucher, a second-year computer science major. “We noticed the progress flag there and were like ‘Oh my God, some cool gay stuff is going on!’”
After several construction delays, Northeastern’s LGBTQA Resource Center has moved from room 328 to room 174 in the Curry Student Center.
“They just moved into a new space and now they are doing these kinds of events,” Wright said. “I think that it’s all about creating an affirming campus for students and I think with all the events that are coming up, hopefully students are gonna benefit from and feel supported and taken care of on this campus.”
Closing remarks from Vetiac reflected on the opportunity Northeastern has to support the queer community on campus.
“It feels like a tremendous gift to be able to offer support to queer and trans students. Support that I wish I had received when I was in college,” Vetiac said. “I am under no illusions that raising the pride flag will solve all the problems facing the queer and trans community today. Raising the pride flag won’t guarantee access to gender affirming care for all who need it, and raising the pride flag won’t reduce the astonishing rates at which trans women of color are murdered every single year. But we raise the pride flag nevertheless.”
Vetiac concluded the ceremony with a mission for the university community.
“Let it be a sign and a promise that, here at Northeastern, we will do all that we can to make sure that every queer and trans student feels safe, feels seen, feels included and celebrated. Let the raising of this pride flag today renew in all of us a commitment to create spaces where all of us are included and feel we belong,” Vetiac said. “Let this pride flag remind all of us who are queer how far we have come as a community and how far we still have to go to reach full inclusion and equality.”
