TAYLOR BOROWETZ

From Oct. 27–31, the University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union Pride Centre held Ally Week, a five-day event promoting diversity and education on campus.

Craig Friesen, the USSU Pride Centre coordinator, said that being there for students who need someone to talk to about any problems they may have is one of the most fulfilling parts of his job.

This past week provided another opportunity for the Pride Centre to celebrate and teach students about what it means to be an ally.

Ally Week was created out of a need to educate the larger campus community about allyship and to promote it. Friesen said an important part of this year’s Ally Week is its evolution to encompass all students as allies, not just cis-gendered heterosexual students but also students within the realms of gender and sexual diversity. He says that everyone should provide support to one another regardless of how they may identify.

There is currently a poster campaign around campus explaining how to be an ally. One important element Friesen says is to be a good listener and help support people in the ways that they want to be supported. This concept does not necessarily mean to do unto others as you would want done unto you, but to treat others the way they wish to be treated.

He says that the best allies aren’t always the trailblazers, but more often those who lead by following, listening and then taking action when called upon.

Friesen hopes to increase awareness of the Pride Centre’s existence, what it does and the fact that there are LGBTQ+ students on campus.

The Pride Centre holds multiple events, including Queerapalooza, a week-long celebration of all sexual orientations and gender identities. The Transgender Day of Remembrance, held each year on Nov. 20, is a day to commemorate transgender people around the world who have died due to violence and persecution. It originally started as a web campaign in 1998 and has since grown to be observed around the world.

Transgender Day of Remembrance is the Pride Centre’s next big event. Everyone is welcome to Neatby-Timlin Theatre on Nov. 20 starting at 6 p.m. There will be speeches made by members of the trans community, followed by light refreshments. A candle-light vigil will take place outside of the Arts Building afterward to honour those who have been lost due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice.

The event is important not only to raise awareness for the suffering of the transgender community, but also to highlight the need for more awareness about trans identities, and protection for individuals that identify as transgendered.

At the Pride Centre, they provide peer support and resources to all students on campus. The centre also contains a library of LGBTQ+ related literature, and a place for anyone to spend time.

For anyone with questions, Friesen recommends a visit to the Pride Centre where everyone, not just members of the LGBTQ+ community, is welcome.

There are over 25 volunteer advocates who keep the Pride Centre open and running, and are informational resources to anyone wondering about gender identity, allyship, and sexual diversity.

“I would like to acknowledge how great the [U of S] is in accepting LGBTQ+ people on campus,” Friesen said. “For the most part, there is a lot of acceptance.”