The LGBTQ+ Center at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo celebrated its one-year anniversary in September with a Rainbow Sherbet Social at the Campus Center Plaza. All students and faculty were welcome to this event, which included rainbow sherbet, music, a slideshow featuring pictures of previous events and conversation.
The focus of the celebration was “what it means to be an ally.” Everyone who showed up to the third-floor Campus Center event was asked to sign in and write down on a strip of paper how allies can help to improve the issues faced by the LGBTQ+ community.
In the first year since its creation, the LGBTQ+ center has hosted and participated in many events on campus including Hilo Pride Parade, the social justice film series, and Coming Out Day. These events were a great success for the center, with large numbers of students and community members in attendance. As a result, the LGBTQ+ community was able to spread awareness and create a more inclusive community.
“UH Hilo LGBTQ+ Center is committed to creating a campus that honors and celebrates diversity regardless of sex, race, gender, or gender identity,” says Laura Sherwood, the center’s coordinator.
Read more about the event and the UH Hilo Stories.
—A UH Hilo Stories article written by Jamie Josephson, a public information intern in the Office of the Chancellor.
—By Susan Enright
