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Hats off to the students of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Allied Union as they offered much more than dancing to the area’s gay community.

The student organization held its second-ever Queer Prom – and the first since 1999 – in the IMU Richie Ballroom in an effort to promote the local gay community while spreading HIV awareness and acceptance of alternative lifestyles.

“The overall goal is for it to travel among [University of Northern Iowa], [Iowa State University], and here as an outlet for high-school kids who don’t feel confident in coming out,”

Despite its primary focus on high-school students, UI senior Stephen Berge said he feels the event also gives Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Allied Union members and university students a second chance to have a prom they might not have had in high school.

“Many of our members didn’t feel confident in taking someone to their high-school proms,” said Berge, who is a board member of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Allied Union.

UI sophomore Julia Mohler, who has previously attended Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Allied Union events, said she feels the organization’s presence on campus is great for the community.

“It gives kids a place to go – especially ones who were closeted in high school,” she said.

The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Allied Union was founded in 1970 to support gay and lesbian students at the UI as well as educating the heterosexual community on alternative lifestyles and civil rights.

In 1985, the UI became one of the nation’s first state universities to include gays and lesbians in its human-rights program. The organization also sponsors the annual Coming Out Day in October.

Technorati Tags: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, HIV, alternative lifestyles

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