SUNY Old Westbury Pride Kickoff

On April 15, OW Rainbow kicked off pride week. The event took place during common hour in the campus center atrium. Allie Bozuhoski and Beranna Beckett; members of OW Rainbow handed out pride flags and played fun and vibrant music. The purpose of the event was to announce that pride week is starting. 

At the event, President Timothy Sams was scheduled to give a speech on celebrating diversity, inclusion, and the LGBTQ+ community. The speech, however, was canceled due to a low turnout. 

Bozuhoski, who is a childhood education major, said that here at SUNY Old Westbury, there isn’t a lot of representation for the LGBTQ+ community. She went on to explain that she’s “found quite a bit of homophobia on campus, so I think it’s really important to just have this kind of representation to make this more of a safe space for those who are closeted or out but not feeling comfortable in the space.”

As a dormer and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Bozuhoski said she feels safe and the most comfortable on campus when she’s with her “group of people.” But she explained that there are groups of people on campus that she’d feel less comfortable sharing her sexuality with. 

Beckett said, “a lot of our transgender brothers and sisters are under attack with these legislations… so I feel like showing pride in ourselves and in our connections with each other will just help bolster the strength, so that we can be who we are, and be who we are safely.” 

On February 22, Republican county executive Bruce Blakeman, signed a controversial order. The order banned teams or leagues that include transgender women or girls from participating in girls and women’s sports in over 100 of Nassau County’s public facilities. The order affects not only school-aged athletes, but people in recreational adult groups in the county. 

New York Attorney General, Letitia James ordered Blakeman to “immediately rescind” his order. The rescindment is on the basis that it discriminates against people based on sex, gender, and identity of expression; a violation of New York law. 

Blakeman argued that transgender athletes don’t belong in the same field as girls. But according to Pat Pizzarelli, who is a part of the Nassau County Public High School Athletic Association, “We have not had any issues with transgender athletes participating in section 8 athletics… no complaints, and I’m not sure that there are any.”

According to Them, sports can be life-saving outlets for trans people. These bans and the hateful rhetoric surrounding them are proven to negatively impact mental health. In a 2021 policy review by the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank discovered that trans youth are more likely to experience negative mental health effects. Gender-exclusive policies like Blakeman’s ban can for example, cause suicidality in trans youth. 

As an ally, Beckett and Bozuhoski explained that the simplest thing to do to show support is to listen and learn about pronouns and the different meanings behind queer flags. Beckett said it’s also important to learn about how other cultures appreciate the queer community. “One thing I just learned is how neo pronouns work and how they work for other languages that don’t have English’s ‘they/them.’”

To improve conditions for LGBTQ+ folks on campus, Bozuhoski said things as simple as signage can help. In high school, Bozuhoski’s school had rainbow stickers that said, “safe space” in classrooms. The stickers were there to let students know that they’re accepted and appreciated. If Old Westbury practiced something similar, Bozuhoski explained that may help queer students on campus feel more accepted.