Spectrum is a fun club for everyone, not just homosexuals

(My next article in the UVU Review)

UVU Spectrum LGBTQI/Straight Alliance is a friendly and welcoming club for everyone at the university who feels marginalized or wants to help those groups who are mistreated, although the main focus is on the local and statewide homosexual community.

This club is both social and political and has many fun activities both on and off campus such as karaoke, roller skating, “Glee” night, movies, costume parties, the Walk of Life for the Utah AIDS Foundation and marching in Utah’s Gay Pride Parade.

Co-chairs Ronnie Sorensen and Tom Hawkins put significant effort into having a fun activity every week or two. The next event is a Frankenstein-themed murder mystery night in which guests get to solve the case of “An Affair to Dismember” over a spaghetti dinner while dressed either in formal attire or as their favorite monster (or wearing any fun costume they choose). It will be held on Thursday night, August 1st, from 7-10 in SC213a.

Their current fundraising campaign is geared towards getting a comedian to come perform at UVU. The difference in this comedian is that he happens to be the transgendered Ian Harvie whose comedy focuses on different aspects of identity and the reactions of society to being one’s true self.

The club is also working together with UVU’s suicide prevention team/hotline to create an “It Gets Better” video for The Trevor Project. This project helps those struggling with their sexual identities in a straight world learn how to cope and not commit suicide. This sort of help for those who need to feel they are truly part of an understanding community is one of Spectrum’s main goals.

There will soon be “We Are Gay UVU” club posters and T-shirts getting the word out that there are gay, lesbian, bi, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex and gay-friendly students at this university who, in all other respects, are just like everyone else. A new poster every couple of weeks will show a new person or group of people willing to come out to the entire school with their pride in their sexual orientation. This is a bold move in such an LDS community.

A “gay” club under one name or another has been at UVU since the Freedom Rings club, named after the rainbow rings often worn as a symbol of homosexuality and unity, was chartered over fifteen years ago.

More information on UVU Spectrum LGBTQI/Straight Alliance and upcoming activities can be found on Facebook.