Students, staff, community members, a reality show star and even an Oscar winner all participated in QPenn — a week-long campus celebration of LGBT culture held this past week.
This year’s theme was “It’s Always Queer in Philadelphia,” a play on the popular FX television series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
The theme was initially chosen because it was “fun and clever,” but later took on added significance as it encouraged people to remember that the Penn LGBT community is part of the larger LGBT community in Philadelphia, according to QPenn Co-Chair and College senior Paul Richards, a 34th Street Magazine features editor and former Daily Pennsylvanian news editor.
QPenn featured events of all kinds, from educational workshops and a keynote address by Academy Award winning screenwriter of Milk Dustin Lance Black to the Queer Student Alliance’s annual Drag Show and a Kinky Karnival, a workshop on alternative sexual practices.
Students agreed that QPenn serves as a bridge between the LGBT community at Penn and the student body at large.
“We try desperately to advertise LGBT events to the whole Penn population, but just because everyone is so involved, they might not be able to get every message about every event,” College sophomore Victor Galli said.
He added that QPenn’s visibility on campus has helped bring in people who might not normally participate in LGBT events.
College sophomore and QSA Co-Chairman Thadeus Dowad said QPenn serves as a unifying force for the LGBT community at Penn.
“As a minority group, QPenn Week is invaluable because not only does it allow us exposure to the wider Penn community who may not know how large and how active the LGBT community is at Penn, but it also allows our community to come together for a common cause,” Dowad said.
According to College sophomore and QSA Outreach Chairman Stefano Di Tommaso, QPenn “reminds the Penn community of our existence and that we’re still here ... and that we’re not going away.”
The week also brought together both the undergraduate and graduate LGBT communities.
Pecha Kucha — an event in which five presenters showed 20 slides centered around a specific theme for 20 seconds per slide — was organized by OutDesign, a graduate organization for LGBT students in the School of Design.Unlike older campus groups, OutDesign has existed “informally” in the past, but formally reestablished itself this year, according to OutDesign Co-Chairman and School of Design graduate student Chris McAdams.
Additionally, QPenn spotlighted less-visible communities within the larger LGBT community.
Last Tuesday, Queer People of Color hosted Isis King, the first transgender contestant on America’s Next Top Model.
“Penn doesn’t have a transgender group … even though we have a plethora of [LGBT] groups, none of them really approach that issue,” according to College senior John Paul Farala.
King’s appearance represented various minority perspectives, including racial and socioeconomic diversity, according to QPOC Co-Chairman and College junior Tony Thieu.
