The Queer Student Association and the Gender and Sexuality Student Resource Center sponsored a picnic at Salt Lake Community College’s South City Campus on June 26 from 1 to 4 p.m.
Music played in the background while attendees enjoyed activities like flower crown making, coloring and card games. Outdoor activities like bowling, Jenga and sidewalk chalk art took place in the shade of the patio area of the multipurpose room.
While curry chicken, egg rolls, rice and fruit were served in a buffet line, attendees relaxed and chatted about how their summer was going. The event was free and open to the community.
A circle of community organizations and posters
Representatives from the Utah Pride Center, the Utah Queer Film Festival and the SLCC Student Writing and Reading Center were available to answer questions for attendees.
Jay Tactay and Jackson Carter of the Utah Pride Center were delighted to be accessible to the SLCC community. Heather Graham of the SLCC Student Writing and Reading Center showed visitors at her table how to make a zine.
In addition to the community resources, eleven posters of heroes and heroines of the LGBTQ+ community decorated the multipurpose room. One poster featured actress Amandla Stenberg, known for playing Rue in “The Hunger Games,” who is outspoken on race and cultural appropriation. Another poster featured Sage Dolan-Sandrino, who served as an ambassador to the White House Initiative on Education Excellence for African Americans under the Obama administration and later wrote for Teen Vogue.
Partakers enjoy the chance to express themselves
Aimee Broadbent, a business management major at SLCC, took the afternoon off from her summer classes to create a headpiece.
Broadbent said she has “always believed that when you craft something by hand, you do it with intention.” Her flower crown created at the Pride Picnic was no exception. She chose purple and pink flowers along with three white rosebuds.
“[The] three white rosebuds each symbolize a sacred phase of womanhood — the Maiden (a bud), the Mother (in bloom), and the Crone (sometimes called Matriarch) — all in their “beauty, wisdom and power,” Broadbent said. “This isn’t just a crown, it’s a statement.”
Portia Kermizis, who graduated from SLCC in May with a degree in education, will attend the University of Utah in the fall. Kermizis enjoyed the picnic and its activities.
“I think it is so fun. I love Pride. I love queer people. I like rainbows, crafts and fun and flowers. It is always joyful,” Kermizis said.
Portia’s younger sister, Dilana Kermizis, will be attending Kutztown University in Pennsylvania to study fine arts. Dilana appreciated the comfortable environment of the picnic.
“I like how simple and relaxing it is. It is not stressful. I would feel comfortable walking up to anyone and saying ‘hi’ without being super nervous,” the younger Kermizis said. “You don’t have that at other events.”
