By Charlotte Ormond

The University of Maryland’s Office of Multicultural Involvement and Community Advocacy hosted a queer open mic in the Adele H. Stamp Student Union Tuesday to provide a space for community members to express themselves through various art forms in celebration of LGBTQ+ History Month.

The event has been a longstanding tradition hosted by MICA. In the past, students have shared their talents through musical performances and art exhibitions. This year, the open-mic format offered a platform for students to express their stories through poetry.

Celeste Good, a second-year student affairs graduate student and member of the Queer History Month committee, helped organize the event. Good said this year’s theme was creation, emphasizing “creating whoever you are within being queer.” The month celebrates breaking away from societal norms and embracing self-expression.

Good emphasized the significance of this month’s celebration, particularly in response to concerns about law reforms affecting the teaching of LGBTQ+ history in schools and the “demonization of queer studies.” They challenged this narrative and said “our stories deserve to be told, and we deserve to be represented.”

A handful of students participated in the open mic and shared their poetry with the audience. Patrick Caswell, a second-semester history major, said he has had a passion for poetry since third grade and participates in the Terpoets club on campus.

As a member of the queer community, Caswell attended the open mic to show his support and because he believes that events like these are valuable for the campus as a whole.

“We have an inherent human nature to express ourselves, and it doesn’t matter if it’s cringe or it sucks, or it doesn’t look the way you want it to look. You should be expressing yourself and making art,” Caswell said.

Jules Dugan, a senior human development major, took advantage of the event to share her work. Dugan said she appreciated the safe space that the event gave queer people to express themselves creatively. 

“In a lot of the world, queer people do not feel like they are welcomed or celebrated,” Dugan said. “So to carve out these areas to do that in the community is really powerful.”

All three attendees encouraged queer students to go at their own pace. Good reminded queer students that their journeys are their own and whether they choose to share it is up to them.

Featured image by Charlotte Ormond, October 15, 2024.