The 11th annual springtime celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community at Dartmouth, “QUEER & ______: PRIDE 2017,” begins Saturday, April 22.

“The theme of the festivities is ‘Queer and Blank, The Narrative Is Yours,’ highlighting the idea that there is essentially no one experience, and that people bring a multitude of identities and intersecting identities into their experience,” says Michelle Hector Kermond, assistant dean and adviser for sexuality, women, and gender in the Office of Pluralism and Leadership (OPAL).

The two-week celebration starts with a dance on Saturday, April 22, at 9 p.m. in Sarner Underground, beneath the Class of 1953 Commons dining hall.

In honor of PRIDE 2017, the front of Dartmouth Hall will be illuminated in the rainbow colors of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple, and the lights will continue for the duration of the celebration.

Students worked together to organize the celebration, Hector Kermond says. “A student planning committee of 15 undergraduate students have been meeting since the beginning of the winter term, developing the programming and the theme.”

Events will include a community cookout and group photo on Tuesday, April 25, at 12 p.m.; an open forum for sharing experiences on Wednesday, April 26, at 7 p.m.; an art show on Monday, May 1, at 7 p.m., and a fashion show on Wednesday, May 5, at 7 p.m.

A complete schedule of events, including a list of sponsors, is available online. All events are free and open to the public. For additional information, contact Michelle Hector Kermond.