Wake’s first Pride Prom hopes to provide a safe, inclusive space for LGBTQ students
LGBTQ students from high schools across Wake County will come together this school year for the first-ever WCPSS Pride Prom.
The organizers of the student-led event say the Pride Prom will give lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer teens in Wake County a safe and inclusive space where they enjoy a prom. Tickets are now on sale for the prom, which is scheduled for Feb. 22 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the City of Raleigh Museum, 220 Fayetteville St. in downtown Raleigh.
“A lot of people are so hyped up about it,” said Ash June, 18, a senior at Apex Friendship High School and head of the project organizing the prom. “Where we live is still considered a conservative area, and it’s only recently I’ve seen pride events, especially with gay marriage only being legalized a few years ago.
“A lot of students don’t feel safe in their school. It’s sort of a space where kids can feel comfortable and be around other people like them.”
The prom is an event many teens look forward to attending, but it is designed for heterosexual students. June said proms have become more open, but some LGBTQ students don’t feel like they can be who they are at them.
Last school year, June said students at Apex Friendship and Holly Springs high schools worked on holding a Pride Prom, but it fell through because they didn’t have enough time. This school year, June said students began work early on organizing the event, which now includes 18 Wake high schools.
The school district isn’t sponsoring the event, but June said several district employees, including Apex Friendship principal Matt Wight, have been helpful about spreading the word and giving advice.
June is hoping that the prom won’t be the last one, with the younger students on the organizing committee keeping it going past 2020.
Tickets will be on sale until Jan. 15 and cost $20 per person. Organizers are hoping 150 people will attend the prom.
Taking security measures for Pride Prom
June said the event is open to LGBTQ students and allies of the LGBTQ community. Students from the Wake school system can attend, as well as those who go to private schools and charter schools in Wake County.
Due to fears of hate crime, June said security measures are being taken for the prom. This includes requiring students who want to buy tickets to purchase them individually through their school’s Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) club.
Wake students who are at a private school or charter school or a district high school without a GSA club can email ashjunenc@gmail.com or sgraff1412@gmail.com for information on how to buy tickets. Direct messages can also be sent on Twitter to @WCPSS_prideprom.
At the event itself, June said students will be asked to limit the videos and photos they post. June said this will protect students who haven’t yet come out to their families and from people who might commit hate crimes.
“We have to take security measures for the event because of the crimes that have happened against LGBTQ people in the country in the past,” June said.
This story was originally published November 14, 2019 at 10:47 AM.
