The University’s LGBTQ+ community gathered on Sept. 20 for an afternoon of music, food, guest speakers, and t-shirt tie-dyeing in honor of their annual Rainbeaux Rush celebration.
The event, held in the African American Cultural Center and the Women’s Center featured, also featured dozens of booths providing information about organizations relevant to the community. The groups ranged from University clubs, such as Spectrum and Outlaws, to off-campus volunteer organizations and local businesses who wanted to show their support.
One of these local businesses was the Open Health Care Clinic, a local clinic that promotes HIV prevention through the PrEP and Pep programs. PrEP is a pill taken once daily to reduce the risk of HIV, and Pep is a pill that can can be taken up to 72 hours after exposure.
“We’re all having sex,” said Kevin Dandridge, the Harm Reduction Navigator for the Open Health Care Clinic. “Let’s be adults and talk about it. It doesn’t mean you’re weird or a freak, it means you’re being mature and responsible. You have to be able to have an open conversation about it.”
Open Health Care provides primary care, pediatrics, behavioral health, dental, wellness and prevention and more. They also offer a payment plan for students unable to afford traditional care.
Other organizations present at the event included Louisiana Trans Advocates, Premier Dental Care and Youth Oasis. Youth Oasis is a group home that provides shelter for homeless youth. Estimations in recent studies by the True Colors Fund say that while only 7 percent of American youth are homeless, 40 percent are members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“We find a youth running away and getting kicked out, and the support isn’t there,” said Youth Oasis intern Kayla Parks. “Sometimes the youth is so confused and withdrawn they don’t know what else to do. They don’t want to disappoint, go to therapy, [or] to be ashamed to even think that they might be apart of the LGBT community.”
Another intern at Youth Oasis, Alex Bourque, said the organization believes it is important to make the public aware of these statistics, so they can face the reality of the homeless problem among LGBTQ+ youth.
“The main thing we can do is get the word out that these are the statistics and this is a reality and what can we do, as a society and as a community in Baton Rouge to fix that?” Bourque said. “We make sure that we advocate in their favor. We give them the best possible care that we can, provide them a safe place and give them as much love and stability as we can.”
Rainbeaux Rush is the first among many events this year in the University’s LGBTQ+ community. The Spectrum Club is preparing to celebrate National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11 and will have a display in Free Speech Alley where students can show their pride by walking through a rainbow door. On Oct. 10, there will be an ice cream social where students can gather and share their coming-out stories.
“I think that it’s the visibility,” said graduate assistant and LGBTQ+ Project coordinator Ethan Brown. “It’s being able to see across campus, regardless of the department or the organization, that the school does support the community, and it’s here to provide them resources.”
