WSU had a great opportunity to participate in the Pride Festival this past weekend, and with that, we got to thinking that it’s about so much more than rainbow colors and floats.
The Pride Festival and Weber State’s glittery purple entry underscored the importance of equality for gays and lesbians.
While some on campus may disagree with providing an equal right to same-sex marriage, we can clearly see that it is something to be recognized. It is clear that equality in matrimony will soon become a national law.
First, the parade was a fantastic reminder that Weber is so diverse that students are getting involved with activities such as the Pride Festival. Weber is looking to bring Pride for all to our campus, to make it a comfortable place for everyone. It is a great opportunity for students to become more aware and get involved in something that benefits others.
Students on campus have been struggling, going through trials because of their sexual orientation. With more support shown by colleges, we can bring change so that students will no longer have to worry about being discriminated against. As a collective group on campus, we can celebrate everyone, no matter what their choices are.
The Pride Festival itself is exciting to us students. While it is not everyone’s cup of tea (some of us feel that it is a little over the top, which is, inevitably, the aim of those attending), it is a chance for everyone to come together and enjoy each other in celebrations of diversity.
The Pride Festival is a great opportunity for people to show their pride and support for the LGBT community here in Utah, where there is quite a bit of judgment doled out on the topic. While this might not be the easiest state to be same-sex oriented, it is nice there are pockets of subculture supporting the gay community. We hope the festival will help anyone who is in the closet find support among like-minded individuals.
Our country is ready for a change. It’s obvious with federal judges finding state laws unconstitutional.
We should all be guaranteed the same rights in this country, and it is unfair that still, in the 21st century, people think they can hold privilege over others. Every state should legalize marriage equality, and we look forward to the day this becomes the national standard. Marriage equality is just around the corner – maybe months or years – and anyone who disagrees is in total denial.
This impacts our community in a huge way. By letting everyone at Weber realize we are a university filled with diversity, we welcome change and want everyone to be themselves. This is something that not all universities in the area can say.
We hope that all students can feel comfortable being true to themselves on our campus. No one should be discriminated against.
We hope the Weber State float helps to open minds to equality for all in our community. The coming federal ruling on Utah’s marriage laws may also continue to broaden our perspectives.
Many people who have opposed marriage equality seem not to care about fighting it anymore. Maybe they are ready to see people for who they are and not by their sexual orientation. At the Pride Festival it was amazing to see all walks of life come together and celebrate, and we hope for more opportunities to broaden people’s perspectives.
In future years, we are hoping our entire country will have come to terms with, and even embrace, the idea of marriage equality. There will no longer be backlash against the incredibly personal decision on who to love.
Our grandchildren will look back on this issue in their history books and shake their heads.
