For over a decade the students at MTSU have celebrated the beginning of spring with their Spring Out! Pride Week.
Spring Out! Pride Week was founded in the spring of 2002, by MT Lambda officers as well as current MT Lambda Advisor Dr. William Langston.
“Spring Out! was created with one goal—to give the LGBTQueer and ally students on campus a way of showing their pride and support for the LGBTQueer community,” said MT Lambda President Joshua Rigsby. “The university has always backed our Pride events and we are glad to bring our own zest of True Blue Spirit to MTSU! It is our hope that the ‘Spring Out!’ week will spread to other LGBTQ student orgs at other colleges and universities who want to stand up and show their Pride on campus; especially those in the surrounding areas.”
Over the last ten years, the Spring Out! celebration has hosted some very well-known speakers including: Judy Sheppard (mother of the late Matthew Sheppard), Ant, Del Shores and this year’s keynote speaker Chaz Bono.
“We are thrilled to be adding Chaz Bono to our list of speakers,” said Rigsby. “MT Lambda chose Chaz Bono because we wanted to bring someone to campus who could help shine a light onto the issues transgender people face both nationally and within our state.”
Kicking off the Spring Out! Week is MT Lambda’s Outtapalooza, a day long festival held on the KUC Knoll. This year Outtapalooza will take place on April 8.
Outtapalooza will feature various organizations and businesses from Nashville and its surrounding areas as hell as a No H8 photo booth. This year features a new component—the first ever Dunkin a Drag Queen event.
After Outtapalooza, attendees are invited to the 2013 Spring Drag Show. While most of the events are free there is a $5 general admission and $10 VIP ticket cost to help defer some of the Spring Out! costs. These tickets are available for pre-purchase as the cost will rise at the door.
In addition to Chaz Bono and Outtapalooza, Spring Out! will present its first ever Advocacy Award to Dr. Wayne Rosing, who was integral to “defending the MT Lambda group from homophobes at MTSU” in its early days.
This year also features a Spring Out! religious panel discussion. The panel will serve as a platform for discussion and debate between the various ideologies that surround society today.
For more information and full schedule of events visit MT Lambda on their website.