Pride Prom at CMU: What to expect this year
Spectrum President talks about the LGBTQ+ Prom tradition
An annual event designed to celebrate participants' authentic selves returns this weekend. Spectrum, a social RSO for LGBTQ+ students on campus, will once again host Central Michigan University's Pride Prom.
The event will take place from 6-9 p.m. on Saturday, March 16 in the University Center Rotunda. There is no cost to attend, but people must RSVP ahead of time in order to get their ticket to attend the event. Guests can RSVP through eventbrite, which is linked in Spectrum’s instagram bio.
At the front table, guests should show their tickets and be welcomed in to the event. There will also be goodies on the table for guests to take, like pins and stickers and flags.
Sophia Scarnecchia is the president of Spectrum. Pride Prom is basically a dance, like high school prom, except that it is specifically meant to welcome those from the LGBTQ+ community, as well as allies, Scarnecchia said.
Every year has a different theme, and this year's is “Rock ‘n’ Rodeo," she said.
“Get your cowboy hats! Western, western, western is the goal,” Scarnecchia said.
She said that people can come dressed to match the theme, or dressed for prom. The only rule, Scarnecchia said, is: "Don’t keep it casual- anything but casual."
There are some different options for people not interested in dancing:
- Coloring books at the tables
- Photo booth
- Ring toss game
- Lip sync challenge
- Kahoot
Scarnecchia said there will also be an ice cream bar with toppings, and drinks including lemonade.
Attendees can choose to participate in karaoke, or compete in a Kahoot on the big screen.
The goal of Pride Prom is to let people have fun in a place where they can be their authentic selves. Scarnecchia said that everyone should feel important and not second-best at the event.
“We don’t have a king or queen, or two kings and two queens because that implies someone’s the best, and no one’s the best," Scarnecchia said. "The only competition I want to see is karaoke or Kahoot."
Scarnecchia said this was the third year of hosting Pride Prom since the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said this year’s style of Pride Prom started after the pandemic, emphasizing accountability and accommodations for guests; but Pride Prom has been a tradition at CMU for 10 years. The Spectrum eboard is hoping to make the tradition last much longer.
If people are shy about going, Scarnecchia said they should give it a try anyway.
“We don’t expect you to be to this degree of ‘out there,’” Scarnecchia said. “If you just want to come for a few minutes, that’s fine.”
