Pink boas, rainbow flags and the music of Lady Gaga filled the Pit at noon Wednesday.
The sensual barrage was part of the UNC Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Center’s flash mob aimed at promoting a gay pride parade in Durham on Saturday.
The parade, dubbed PrideFest 2010, will be part of a weekend of activites in the Triangle hosted by North Carolina Pride, a state-wide organization for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
The parade will begin on Duke University’s east campus at 1 p.m. and wind through Durham, ending around 5 p.m.
Continuing a yearly tradition, UNC will have a float in this year’s parade.
Alex Kilkka, co-president of UNC’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Straight Alliance,said the theme will be “Blood, Sweat, and Queers: Monsters, Vampires, and the Fantastic!”
Maggie Charlin, UNC’s LGBTQ Center spokeswoman, said students have fun working on and riding the float in the parade.
“It’s good for those who are out for the first time,” she said. “It’s welcoming.”
Kilkka said Monday’s event was a way for the campus community to experience some of the energy the parade will have.
“The Pride Parade is a day of celebration and affirmation, and we wanted to share that with the campus today.”
Brent Eason, who was sporting a pink boa as he celebrated the upcoming parade with his fellow allies, said the flash mob was a better way to get people excited and involved than traditional methods.
“People get bored if you just hand out flyers all day,” he said. “It’s just more visible. It gets the word out.”
Danny Depuy, assistant director of UNC’s LGBTQ Center, also said awareness is important.
“Visibility is one of the biggest aspects of being an ally,” she said.
Kilkka added that the flash mob is just the beginning of GLBTSA’s agenda to make themselves better known on campus.
“We’re also passing out buttons and ribbons, tabling more frequently in the Pit and putting up posters for events like the National Day of Silence,” he said.
The National Day of Silence, on April 15, is a show of solidarity against anti-gay bullying.
All UNC students are welcome to participate in PrideFest, Kilkka said. GLBTSA is organizing a carpool and students can also catch the noon Robertson bus to Duke, where PrideFest will begin.
“Last year we had about 40 students ride with us, and we hope to have even more this year,” he said.
To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.
