Editor, Daily Nexus,

I was flipping through the Daily Nexus on Monday morning, anxious to see what this week, the once-a-year week set aside for queers to be openly embraced by our campus community, had to offer. Inside, I found the Queer Student Union’s insert, The Recruiter. After a giggle at this title and the cartoon with spiky-haired boys and lipsticky girls, I noticed the disclaimer in the corner and pondered, who and what is Pride Week for?

I went for a stroll around campus to get an idea of how Queer Pride Week 2003 was affecting the campus as a whole. Aside from a few fliers around campus, I did not see anything that would suggest that this is pride week. Where are the rainbow flags, symbol of the inclusive and beautiful nature of the queer community?

Where are all the queers? Going about business as usual, I assume.

But I have the answer to my question. Pride week is ours. Pride week is for queers!

I would like to applaud the QSU and the other members of the campus community for making Pride Week possible and for planning events. They have done their part, and now it is time for the rest of us to do ours. Make yourself visible; make yourself heard. Pride Week is for us; it is for all of the queers and allies who are silenced by fear and marginalized by stigmas. This is our week to be out, loud and, above of all else, proud. While education of our not-lucky-enough-to-be-queer counterparts is a lofty goal, Pride Week should be a celebration of being queer. No apologies or disclaimers should be necessary. Pride Week also serves as a demonstration of positive queer identity and social acceptance for those who may be grappling with their own sexuality. I spend 51 weeks a year being bent in the straight world. This week, I want to live in a queer world.