More than 100 University of Michigan students gathered in Palmer Commons to attend a “Written in the Stars” themed Pride Prom Friday evening. The prom, hosted by the Spectrum Center and co-sponsored by the Office of Multi-Ethnic Student Affairs and Rackham Graduate School, aimed to provide a safe and fun environment for LGBTQIA+ students to congregate and experience the tradition of prom.
In an interview with The Michigan Daily, LSA sophomore Macie Richardson, a member of the Spectrum Center’s staff, said Pride Prom creates an opportunity for Queer students who did not have positive experiences during past dances or school gatherings.
“A lot of Queer students have interesting relationships with prom,” Richardson said. “Maybe they didn’t have the best experience at their high school prom, so I think it’s really important for us to have an opportunity to have a good experience with a prom-like atmosphere.”
With a spacious dance floor, a photo booth, tarot card readings and a drag performance, the prom had no shortage of entertainment for the attendees. Art & Design junior Emil Lamb said they enjoyed the event’s array of entertainment.
“The music’s great,” Lamb said. “The food is great. They’ve got a little knickknacks table, I love that so much. It’s super cool; for the photo booth, I love that they print out the photos and tarot card reading is so mysterious.”
Richardson said the Spectrum Center took extra measures to ensure the prom was a comfortable environment for all attendees.
“We always think about accessibility,” Richardson said. “We have a quiet room upstairs for people who might get overwhelmed during the event.”
The Spectrum Center supports students of the LGBTQIA+ community throughout their college experience by hosting events and programs that celebrate and affirm their identities. Engineering senior Jasmine Li said events hosted by the Spectrum Center and other LGBTQIA+ organizations on campus are important to create a sense of community.
“I think it’s just a really cool celebration of pride and the LGBTQIA+ community,” Li said. “It’s nice to bring everyone together and also just have an excuse to dress up and hang out with your friends or bring dates.”
Daily News Contributor Zoë Sowers can be reached at zsowers@umich.edu.