I don’t even think straight. All you need is love. These colors don’t run. Who’s got pride? We’ve got pride. Who wants rights? We want rights.
At noon on Wednesday, Oct. 15, many students walked out of their classes and gathered in Borchuck Plaza, in front of the Sherrod Library to tell the stories of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community on campus, to celebrate that community, and to raise awareness and acceptance.
The event was pulled together by a brand-new speech class called “Speaking for Social Change,” and by students in that class like Barbie Brannon, a senior public relations major. In the class, Brannon says, students were encouraged to find a cause that they felt passionate about, and then to speak out about that cause.
“The GLBT group on campus does not have a lot of representation,” Brannon says. “They feel like they can’t come out.”
This event, a collaboration between GLBT TieS and “Speaking for Social Change,” Brannon says, was an effort to change some of the “closed-mindedness” on campus and in this area.
“It’s not only challenged us, but pushed us beyond what an ordinary class would
Gathering up signs and rainbow flags, and shouting chants like, “H-O-M-O Sexuals – Go! Own it!” the group of around 50 students, faculty and staff took off in a brisk march around campus before returning to Borchuck Plaza to listen to speakers and music.
Many students in the march were freshmen, new to campus, and many of them were attending their first rally and pride march. One student said that she had been in another march in West Virginia that was not positively received.
Alex J. Bryant, a digital media major, marched with the Lambda Alliance at Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va. Bryant says that the protesters at Marshall were met with angry shouts and derogatory slurs.
“We were met with a lot more hostility,” Bryant says, “It used to bother me. It made me want to go back into the closet, so to speak. Today, if someone yells at me, it makes me want to hold my sign higher.”
Another student went to David Crockett High School in Jonesborough, and says a controversy at the school last year led to negative behavior towards GLBT students.
“They don’t realize there are gay people everywhere,” says Jenni Davis, a freshman art major.
Last year Davis participated in the National Day of Silence on April 18, 2007. The protest dedicates a day to raise awareness about anti-gay violence and hate crimes. Davis says that school administrators made her put away a rainbow-colored tote bag. Due to death threats that some students received, school administrators asked the students to stay out of school for a minimum of three days.
“My mother has been afraid for my life since I came out of the closet,” Bryant added.
Helping people be less afraid, says freshman English major Heather Yeargin, is one of the goals of an event like Pride Speaks.
“I’m hoping it will help people know there is a supportive community here,” Yeargin says, holding a sign that says “Love outside the lines.” When she was a child, she says, she hated having to color inside the lines when it came to coloring books, and the same philosophy applies to her life.
“Love outside the lines means that it doesn’t have to be straight, bi or gay. Love is love,” she says, “It doesn’t have to be inside the lines.”
Speakers at the event echoed similar themes.
Lettee Harris, an employee in the Office of Multicultural Affairs, spoke about what it meant to her to be a woman, black and gay – and to be proud of who she is.
“I hope you all see the pride I have in standing here,” Harris says, “I hope you all see the pride I have for ETSU . I hope that everyone here finds the strength to be who they are.”
Dr. Patricia Robertson, a professor in the department of Human Development and Learning with a long history of social justice advocacy, also spoke at the event about the importance of listening to the stories of oppression and pride that GLBT community members have faced – listen, and believe them.
“First of all, we have to admit there is a problem here,” she says, “We need to keep asking the individuals who are marginalized what their experience is . and we need to continue to fix those problems. We need to have clear, honest conversations. We need to pay closer attention to whether diversity is being infused into our curriculum.”
The event also included the music of Brooke Renfro and Nikki Giles, a performance by the “Radical Cheerleaders,” and speeches from Assistant Director of Women’s Studies KC Gott, and the insight of students Barbie Brannon, Emilee Barry, Sam Smith and Ash-Lee Henderson.

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