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Proud of Pride Prom

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Anya Sukhana
Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Katelyn Kivel
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at WMU chapter.

So, how was your prom back in High School? Nice? Awesome? Special? The best day of your life? Well, lucky you. But there are some amongst us who might not have had this kind of prom that, if you believe cheesy 21st century Hollywood blockbusters, every little girl dreams of. Maybe because they were ill, alone or just in a really bad mood.
 
Or maybe because they couldn’t bring their partner to the prom because he or she has the same sex as they do. Get my point? I guess, gay couples have never been the most favourite prom guests.
 
That exactly was the whole idea of last Saturday’s Pride Prom, which was organized by WMU’s gay and lesbian student organisation OUIspoken. All of those who weren’t allowed to bring their true love to their High School prom got a second chance last Saturday. Gay couples were not only tolerated but even appreciated. Because regardless of whom you love, you should be allowed to go out with him or her, shouldn’t you?
 

Personally, I wasn’t really interested in this whole bring-your-same-sex-girlfriend/boyfriend ability. My intention to visit Pride Prom was a little different: See, I’m from Germany and, believe it or not, where I’m from we don’t have a real prom. I mean, we have a ball but we go there with our parents instead of our boyfriend or date. It’s really no big deal. I actually spent many of my teenager days watching American high school movies and imagining how it would be to go to a real prom.
 
Well, Pride Prom was not completely a “real” prom, but it was pretty close to it. There was music; there was a buffet; there were photos and there even were some balloons. A crowd of very well dressed students were dancing, chatting, kissing and having fun. But the very best point about it was the location. The prom was situated in the noble Radisson Hotel downtown which gave the whole evening a pretty glamorous touch.
 
So of course there were many gays and lesbians last Saturday but also lots of straight friends of them. It was just a crowd of young and pretty cool students who enjoyed a special night. It was this one night where all cards are played openly – finally. Who’s dating who? Who broke up with whom? Who’s together again? Tons of gossip, a lot of fun – exactly what a prom should be like.

Editor: Katelyn Kivel

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Katelyn Kivel is a senior at Western Michigan University studying Public Law with minors in Communications and Women's Studies. Kate took over WMU's branch of Her Campus in large part due to her background in journalism, having spent a year as Production Editor of St. Clair County Community College's Erie Square Gazette. Kate speaks English and Japanese and her WMU involvement includes being a Senator and former Senior Justice of the Western Student Association as well as President of WMU Anime Addicts and former Secretary of WMU's LBGT organization OUTspoken, and she is currently establishing the RSO President's Summit of Western Michigan University, an group composed of student organization presidents for cross-promotion and collaboration purposes. Her interests include reading and writing, both creative and not, as well as the more nerdy fringes of popular culture.