Although Pride Month is officially in June, many schools celebrate LGBTQIA+ pride while still in session. This April, Villanova students have come together to celebrate their queer population.

This week, the University celebrated its LGBTQIA+ members and allies with Villanova Pride Week. Run by VU Pride, Villanova’s LGBTQIA+ and ally group, the week consisted of fun community building events to celebrate inclusion and love.

VU Pride is a club that has been on campus for about 20 years. Open to allies and members of the LGBTQIA+ community alike, VU Pride typically hosts social and educational events throughout the year. For example, this past February, it hosted a movie night where it watched the film “Moonlight,” as well as a Gayla at the Villanova Inn.

This week’s theme was healthy relationships and consent, and on April 5, VU Pride collaborated with One Love, a nonprofit focused on ending unhealthy relationships, for a discussion on healthy queer relationships. On Wednesday, there was a documentary viewing in collaboration with the Campus Activities Team (CAT). On Thursday, “Queer Quizzo” was held, in which participants tested their knowledge on all things LGBTQIA+. On Friday, there was a bake sale at the Oreo.

VU Pride also gave out free T-shirts throughout the week to anyone involved and got together for group photos on Friday after the bake sale.

The discussion with One Love on healthy relationships can apply to all relationships, whether queer or not. It is important that everyone is educated and learns how to build a safe community for all.

On Monday, April 11, there was a round table talk about queer experiences with Alice Dunbar-Nelson and other inspiring queer figures.

VU Pride week has been a yearly tradition, but it was not very popular last year during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully, as the world has opened back up, general events have seen an increase in attendance, which helps the club grow and gain additional support.

“The goal of pride week is to build community, educate and be seen,” VU Pride President Ava Wey said. “We make sure we are a part of the Villanova community.” 

With inclusion being such a big part of the University’s mission, it is extremely important to take the time to not only acknowledge every identity on campus, but also to promote the well-being of all.

VU Pride is not the only club working to promote inclusivity on Villanova’s campus. A new club, NATS, is Villanova’s club for non-binary and transgender students. There is also Oasis, which is a subsect of VU Pride, which is a support group for queer students on campus. These clubs exist to promote unity and help LGBTQIA+ students feel connected and comfortable.

Max Cabal, a freshman member of VU Pride’s steering committee, has found great things through the organization, especially in their transition to college. 

“It’s a community that I felt safe and connected in,” they said. “Everyone is really nice and very good at keeping people involved.”

“Come out to events,” Cabal said. “The support is always wanted and appreciated.” 

Even if a student is not a part of the LGBTQIA+ community, there is much to gain from attending VU Pride Week.

If one wants to be more involved with VU Pride or Villanova’s LGBTQIA+ community, they can head to Instagram and follow @vu.pride and ask to join the general body email list. If one is a part of the LGBTQIA+ community and wants to join the confidential group “Oasis,” they can email [email protected] and be added to the Oasis email list.