Author: Soo Jin Kim
On April 6, the Queer Straight Alliance (QSA) kicked off their annual event, Gaypril, in the Quad with music, flyers and cupcakes. Gaypril, as the name suggests, will last all of April, with many events planned out for each week. It is run and organized by QSA. “Gaypril is the month where we set aside time and program events to celebrate the diversity, victories and struggles of the LGBTQI community,” QSA Secretary Isaac Hale (sophomore) said.
QSA is a student-run club which aims to bring the Occidental campus closer together in creating a comfortable environment. “[An environment where people] need not feel afraid or uncomfortable with their sexual orientation,” President of QSA Sammy Suboh (junior) said. “We want to empower Lesbian Gay Bi Transsexual Queer Intersex Alliance (LGBTQIA) students and give them the resources to confront homophobia.”
“I am very excited about Gaypril,” Suboh said. “QSA has come a long way in terms of programming and presence and our second annual Gaypril is an example of that. Gaypril is a milestone that is part of an ongoing legacy linked to the institution that is Occidental College.” Hale added, “It is my desire that Gaypril events we’ve created will make Oxy a more inclusive and aware community for all students and will encourage Oxy students to embrace differences outside the Oxy bubble as well.”
The month of April will be dedicated to educational and community building programs and events that aim to promote awareness about issues of gender and sexuality. Events such as the Genderfuck Pulse Performance (which is censored as “Genderf#ck” by the Oxy administration) and a professional Voguing performance have all been planned for the month of April.
Nicole Copti (sophomore), who had participated in Gaypril last year, has good memories of it and is looking forward to the rest of Gaypril this year. “I really enjoyed it [last year],” she said, “I came at a time when I really needed support. I was trying to find my own identity and the events I attended helped me feel empowered and to accept my sexuality.”
The professional Voguing performance and workshop took place on April 7, in the Cooler. Voguing is form of dance that is characterized by model-like photos and rigid, angular limb motions. Brought to mainstream attention by Madonna, it is still being practiced. “I enjoyed the event,” said Copti, “the group that they brought in was talented. I never saw it [voguing] before so I thought it was very interesting.”
The Genderfuck Pulse Performance will be a dance performance put on by students from Pulse, a student run hip-hop dance club. This performance will be held at 12:30 p.m. (during lunch time) on Friday, April 17, and will promote the Genderfuck Dance held the next day. Also on April 17 is the event “A Day of Silence” where students are encouraged to take a vow of silence to bring attention to the silencing of the LGBTQ community at large. This event takes place all day, and during lunch QSA will distribute bandanas and flyers that explains the significance of the act in further detail.
The Genderfuck Dance will be held on the Quad on Saturday, April 18. “[This dance] celebrates the privilege we all have to dress in whatever way we want,” Suboh said. “It is also a dance that attempts to break down gender binaries.”
Genderfucking is a type of gender expression and uses parody and/or exaggeration to call attention to the superficial boundaries created by that gender roles. Dancers manipulate their appearance to create gender dissonance. For example, dancers may confuse their gender identity by having both breasts and a beard. And though many associate Genderfuck with people with queer identities, Suboh noted that people of any sexual orientation may also practice genderfucking.
“Genderfuck is my favorite dance at Oxy,” said Joel Davis, junior, “I feel that we should strongly challenge the stigmatization of sex, sexuality and STD testing.” Copti agrees, saying, “I feel that Genderfuck is Gaypril’s biggest strength. It’s an event that QSA puts on that is well known throughout [the] campus, and allows the campus to get involved with the QSA event.”
Another person scheduled to visit Oxy is Price Gomolvilas, a writer, performer and provocateur. On Wednesday, April 15, outside of the Center for Gender Equity, also known as Stewie’s ground floor, from 8-10pm Prince Gomolvilas will perform a live event which will draw many of its content from his blog, Bamboo Nation. According to Suboh, “[It will feature] hilarious true stories about insecure go-go dancers, about coming out to disapproving Asian parents, and about how a series of satirical articles of ‘High School Musical’ resulted in death threats and the worldwide anger of tween girls.”
“I’m extremely enthusiastic about it [Prince Gomovilas’s performance],” said Hale, “I have seen Prince in action before, and I am incredibly excited to have the opportunity to bring his humor and unique talents to the Oxy community.”
“I hope people see the diverse, multifaceted voices and experiences of the LGBTQI community,” Suboh said. “I also hope that people see the importance of a LGBTQI student organization on campus and that Gaypril inspires future student leaders.”
“Our identity is not just our race,” said Renoa Batista, sophomore, “so I really appreciate that we have QSA and that QSA is so active when it comes to Gaypril, and I hope that it continues to progress in the years to come.”
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