This year’s annual PrideFest will be held Friday at McCarthy Quad from 5-9:30 p.m.
While Pride Month is associated with June, the majority of students are not on campus, preventing them from celebrating with the USC community. USC hosting PrideFest in October allows a larger-scale celebration of the LGBTQ+ community and history amongst students.
In 1994, Missouri high school teacher Rodney Wilson founded LGBTQ+ History Month, formerly known as Lesbian and Gay History Month. October was formally recognized as a month dedicated to LGBTQ+ history in 1955.
Mel Persell, a senior majoring in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology, is the assistant director of the USC Queer and Ally Student Assembly (QuASA). Persell has been organizing this year’s PrideFest celebration since July.
“I just think it’s really significant that we’re even able to have this kind of event,” they said. “I think that these events are important, because it allows queer people to build community, and it just shows, ‘Hey, no one is ashamed of being gay at this event.’”
Sophomore Joshua Moray Grossmam, whose artist name is Moray, will be performing at PrideFest. Grossman has never attended USC’s PrideFest and said he is looking forward to it this year.
“I think the university provides some really wonderful resources for the LGBT community, and I’m very grateful that they’re putting on PrideFest in collaboration with QuASA and that we’re able to have a day celebrating pride,” he said.
Junior design major Saneel Sharma, also known as Rae Oblivion, performed at last year’s PrideFest. She said the event provided “another opportunity for me to have my space on the stage and really allow my drag and my heart to show through.”
This year, Sharma will be the host rather than a performer. Sharma said she was looking forward to her role as master of ceremonies, since it will allow her to have an even bigger impact on the atmosphere of PrideFest.
“I’m thinking of being the personality on stage and being almost in charge of the entire vibe of PrideFest,” she said. “I’m the person people will hear the most on the mic. I feel like I now have the responsibility of being almost the face of PrideFest.”
Attendees can expect vendors and performances featuring USC students. Some of the performers include Will Domke, Will Yeaman and Ella Mayo. Student vendors include Charlie Ravesloot, selling crochet designs, Diana Lucifera, a tarot card reader and Manasa Sundaram, selling prints.
“I would hope to see more outside careers organizations being part of the process,” Sharma said. “Just to allow and have PrideFest to be a true festival-type setting where we have other organizations that are willing to help and provide information and look out for students.”