Lily Charkow, Arts & Life Editor–

Months past June, Denison’s Outlook and the Office of Belonging and Inclusion are still keeping the pride alive. From Oct. 7-11, the two groups hosted a series of events to celebrate LGBTQIA+ pride. 

Pride week is a tradition that has been at Denison for approximately over 20 years. It began in the 90’s, where students would wear jeans to display their pride. 

“Pride week is centered around National Day of Coming Out…We wanted to be a part of this week and to give space and pride for queer students on campus,” said Gabe Hess ‘26. 

Hess is the event manager for Outlook. Throughout the week, there were events organized by the Center of Belonging & Inclusion and there were separate events organized by Outlook. Additionally, there were some events organized by both organizations. 

The week began with drag bingo, organized by Residential Communities & Housing, CLIC and UPC. The event featured drag performers Madam Woods, Cynthia Lee Fontaine, and Mrs. Kasha Davis. Madam Woods is the drag persona of Adam Wood, the associate director in the Office of Admission. Fontaine and Davis both appeared on the reality television show RuPaul’s Drag Race. At the event, they performed lip-syncs of popular songs and also conducted a game of bingo. They preached messages of acceptance and tolerance of others. 

In addition to drag bingo, the Center of Belonging & Inclusion hosted a series of events to celebrate pride. Another event, called Smash Out Hate, was held on Oct. 10 and students were invited to smash plates in front of the Slayter Student Union. On the other side of Slayter, Outlook was handing out free Canes to students and giving away LGBTQIA+ merchandise.

“We thought that giving out Canes would just be a fun thing for the community and it would also give us a chance to interact with the broader campus,” said Ant Smith ‘27, president of Outlook. The fast food pop-up was popular among students. 

On the same day as the Smash Out Hate event, there was a fair with resources and support for the LGBTQIA+ community on the Reese Shackelford Commons. There were organizations from Denison, Columbus, and Licking County tabling at the fair. 

Later that night, Outlook hosted an event titled Drag Out the Vote.

“Historically, queer communities have had low voting turnouts and with the state of current legislation voting is especially important,” said Hess. “With the current controversies around drag queens, showcasing their awesomeness and relating it to voting reminds people how much is at stake.”

Drag Out the Vote featured Madam Woods again, as well as drag performers local to the Columbus area. The event encouraged young people who are members of LGBTQIA+ communities to vote in the upcoming presidential election. 

Denison’s pride week ended on Oct. 11 with a screening of “I Saw the TV Glow” in the Slayter auditorium. The film is a psychological horror drama which contains themes of identity and gender. Following the screening, there was a discussion led by Outlook. 

From left: Drag queens Cynthia Lee Fontaine, Mrs. Kasha Davis and Madam Woods pose with Alix Sanden ’27 and her absentee ballot during Drag Out the Vote in Slayter Union on Oct. 9. Photo: Lily Charkow / The Denisonian