March 1, 2022
Oakland University Pride Month, which celebrates OU's diversity in sexual orientation and gender identity, will kick off at noon on March 14th in Founders Ballroom C inside the Oakland Center with an Opening Ceremony and the 3rd Annual Tim Larrabee Memorial Lecture featuring comedian Brittany Ashley.
Ashley is a native Chicagoan who loves to write and portray lesbian characters and stories that audiences rarely get to see onscreen. She’s written/produced over 100 sketches while working at BuzzFeed, created an LGBTQ news show on Logo and hosts a grief/pop culture podcast called “Don’t Tell The Babysitter Mom’s Dead.”
Most recently, Ashley was an Outfest Screenwriting Lab Finalist for a queer romcom feature and she just finished writing a lesbian-led horror comedy feature.
Following the Opening Ceremony, the Pride Month celebration will continue through April 14. Other activities and events include:
• Celebrate PRIDE by Sharing a Great Book (March 15-April 14, Educational Resources Lab): Stop by the Educational Resources Lab in Pawley Hall to browse our display of LGBTQ-related books. You will find them on the book shelves at the front of the ERL. The books will be available for checkout to OU faculty, staff and students for Pride Month at OU.
• Drag Queen Bingo (7 p.m., March 15, Oakland Center Banquet Rooms): Join the Student Program Board for Drag Queen Bingo featuring the one and only Monique Heart from RuPaul’s Drag Race.
• Women and Gender Studies Film Festival (1-3 p.m., March 19, Human Health Building Room 1050): The Women and Gender Studies Film Festival will be screening one film this year, focusing on the experiences of the intersex population. The film, “No Box for Me. An Intersex Story,” is a 58-minute documentary challenging the binary of biological sex, following two individuals as they explore their identity as intersex persons.
• Our Transcestors (12-1 p.m., March 21, Virtual): Join us for a lively discussion about transgender history and our transcestors. This session will discuss and explore the influential lives of various trans individuals throughout history, with a focus on sharing their story in their own words. A full reference list and resources utilized to gather the session content will be shared for further reading and learning.
• SMTD Celebrates Pride (7 p.m., March 23, Oakland Center Habitat or Virtual): The School of Music, Theater, and Dance (SMTD) celebrates pride through the arts. Come witness student and faculty works as we share Queer stories through various mediums of performance.
• OU Libraries’ Gaylor Collection: A Panel Discussion (12-1 p.m., March 24, Virtual): The Robert Gaylor Collection, located in Oakland University’s Kresge Library, includes more than 3,200 books and other materials focusing on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and issues. The librarian who donated the Gaylor Collection, Robert Gaylor, will speak on the history of the collection, how it came together and the scope of the collection. We encourage faculty and students who use the collection to join the panel discussion.
• Affirmative Wellness Counseling with LGBTQ+ Adults (12-1:30 p.m., March 28, Virtual): Please join us for a Lunch and Learn with OU faculty, Dr. Michael Cheney, where he will be sharing research about wellness counseling and working with adult LGBTQ+ populations.
• Pride Month Book Club (12-1 p.m., March 29, Virtual): The LGBTQIA Employee Resource Group is hosting a Pride Month Book Club. We will be reading the graphic novel, “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe. Contact the [email protected]to receive a book prior to the discussion. Faculty, staff and students are welcome.
• GSA’s 17th Drag Show (7 p.m., March 31, Oakland Center Banquet Rooms A&B): The Gay-Straight Alliance is sponsoring the 2022 Interstellar Drag Show. Join them for a celebration of queerness through art and drag.
• Pride Prom (7 p.m., April 9, Oakland Center Gold Rooms): Join the Gay-Straight Alliance for a night of fun and wonder at the 2022 Pride Prom.
• Tie Dye With Pride (12-2 p.m., April 8, Oak View Front Lawn): Join RLA for a fun afternoon in celebration of Pride Month. Stop by for tie-dyeing, dancing, snacks, crafts, and awesome giveaways.
• Lavender Graduation Celebration and Awards (12-1:30 p.m., April 14, Oakland Center Banquet Room A): Join the Gender and Sexuality Center for the 9th Annual Lavender Graduation Celebration and Award Ceremony that serves to congratulate and celebrate the achievements of Oakland University’s LGBTQIA and ally graduates of all levels. All are welcome to attend. Winter, Summer and Fall 2022 graduates who wish to be recognized with a lavender stole are encouraged to complete the form no later than April 1, 2022.
“The Gender and Sexuality Center is excited to host Pride Month 2022, with most events occurring on campus,” said Grace Wojcik, coordinator of the GSC at Oakland University. “The events will provide the campus community with opportunities to learn about and from the LGBTQIA community and connect with others all while celebrating the diversity of our campus community."
This year’s Pride Month celebration is hosted by the Gender and Sexuality Center, and is sponsored by the Honors College, School of Nursing and Continental. The 2022 Lavender Graduation Celebration & Awards is sponsored by Rocket Companies.
All events are free and open to the public. For more information about Pride Month at OU, visit oakland.edu/gsc/pride-month.
About OU Pride Month
OU Pride Month is a university-wide collaboration, presenting opportunities to learn from and about the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, questioning and asexual (LGBTQIA) community. In the U.S., Pride Month is traditionally celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall uprising in Manhattan, a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement. Today, Pride Month events attract millions of participants worldwide. The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that LGBTQIA individuals have had on history on local, national, and international levels.
About The Tim Larrabee Memorial Lecture
The Tim Larrabee Memorial Lecture is named in honor of Dr. Timothy G. Larrabee, an Oakland University associate professor of teacher development and educational studies who, for more than a decade, was a passionate teacher, researcher and advocate for the LGBTQIA community on and off campus. Dr. Larrabee founded the SOGI Initiative, which aimed to create a safe, welcoming supportive and inclusive campus climate for all students, staff, faculty and administrators regardless of sex, gender identity or sexual orientation, as well as to advocate for the larger LGBTQIA community.