Rainbow Fest returns to Alden Street

crimed or killed.”

___ By Carley Crain ___ @carley_crain12

Rainbow flags flying around, honks from cars driving by, colorful posters, smiles of pride, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, allies, and pure joy kicked off GSA’s annual Rainbow Fest week at Springfield College on Monday afternoon during the Pride Parade. The week of celebrations always starts off with the parade and the raising of the progressive pride flag, as the event encompasses the main mission of Rainbow Fest: queer joy.

“I think it is so important for people to remember, yes, pride is a protest and we should be fighting,” said GSA president Wyatt de Friesse. “However, there is also an aspect of people just wanting to live and be themselves without fear of being hate

GSA has a full list of events planned for the week, all meant to highlight the LGBTQIA+ community on campus. On Tuesday, the second day of Rainbow Fest, students visited the resource fair, which provided the campus with information on numerous programs, clubs, and organizations that support the LGBTQIA+ community. For GSA, this was important to include in the week of Rainbow Fest because, for many queer individuals, this support is crucial for their overall well-being.

That night, the DEI office hosted an LGBTQIA+ trivia night, which was a fun, uplifting event for those who wanted to test their queer knowledge.

Wednesday was arguably one of the bigger events of the week: drag bingo. Bingo is always a largely-attended event on the Springfield College campus, but drag bingo specifically is extra special for students. This year students enjoyed and cheered on Zelda Vox, the queen who performed during Wednesday night’s bingo.

At a time when drag is being banned across the nation, this year’s bingo was very important. Students felt and fully embraced the queer joy that was evident during the show. For queer students at Springfield College, drag bingo isn’t just entertaining. It is a reminder of how important representation is.

“Springfield College loves their bingo, but it also represents LGBTQ+ pride,” de Friesse said. “Especially nowadays with all the bans on drag happening, it is nice to have that sort of representation.”

Thursday is a historic day for Rainbow Fest. The college is welcoming transgender poet Stephanie Burt to campus. Burt is a well-established writer who has been referred to by The New York Times as “One of the most influential poetry critics of her generation.”

On Friday, a gathering commemorating Trans Day of Visibility will take place at 2:30 p.m. in Marsh. Every year, this day is celebrated on March 31 to honor transgender and non-binary individuals, as well as raising awareness about the discrimination transgender people face.

Additionally, The DEI office is hosting a Salsa/ Bachata Night with Rosby at 6 p.m. that evening.

The last day of Rainbow Fest concludes with an evening of reflection behind Alumni Hall at 4 p.m. Students can expect a bonfire, smores and reflective discussions.

Emily McDermott

Emily McDermott won this edition’s Springfield Student Women’s Athlete of the Week﹣receiving 40.6 percent of the vote after holding it down in front of the net last week. The senior goalkeeper for the women’s lacrosse team combined for 20 saves with only seven goals allowed in the Pride’s two victories this past week.

The second vote getter was Devon Rosier with 21.9 percent of the vote after shining on the big stage. The senior gymnast earned a 9.825 score on the balance beam to earn a national title in the event at the NCAA Divi sion III National Championships on

Ryan Sorgi

The winner of the Springfield Stu dent Men’s Athlete of the Week was Ryan Sorgi﹣garnering 47.8 percent of the vote after a great week swinging the bat. The junior catcher for the baseball team combined to go 6 for 9 with three walks, a triple and six runs batted in in Springfield’s three games this past week.

Michael Barrett got the second most votes with 28.4 percent in the poll. The senior shortstop for the baseball team combined to go 5 for 12 with two walks, a double, triple, stolen base, and five runs batted in in the Pride’s three games this past week.

In third place was Jakarie Williams with 16.4 percent of the vote. The senior gymnast earned a 14.150 score in the floor routine for first place at the USA Gymnastics Men’s College National Championships on Saturday.

David Handron rounded out the vote after excelling alongside Wil liams. The junior gymnast earned a 13.250 score on the rings for first place at the USA Gymnastics Men’s College National Championships on Saturday.

Be sure to follow @TheSpfldStu dent on Twitter to vote in the next poll!

Saturday.

Christina Wygonik and Emily Gell tied for third place in the poll with 18.8 percent of the vote respec tively. Wygonik, a senior gymnast, earned a 9.825 score in the floor routine to earn a national title in the event at the NCAA Division III National Championships on Saturday. Gell, a junior pitcher for the softball team, combined for five shutout innings across two appear ances with only two hits and one walk allowed alongside seven strike outs.