“Yeah, me too,” Max adds. “We love a good ally.”
I smile. Yep. That’s me—just a really good ally to the LGBTQIA+ community.
I wonder whether Caleb told Theo about our interaction on Sunday, and how he considers me an “honorary queer person.” I wonder if Theo would agree. Given that I haven’t experienced any prejudice for being who I am, I would assume not. But hey, that’s why being an ally is important, right? I can use my privilege to help those who do experience prejudice. I can fight for them.
And that’s all that really matters.
As we enter the Student Center, it’s surprisingly just as bustling as it would be in the middle of the day. There must be several other organizations and clubs that meet here in the evenings for activities. Fortunately, there’s a bright, multicolored sign by the entrance with “EQA” written in glittery letters, guiding us toward the elevator, where several other students pile in with us.
In the elevator, Theo and I exchange nervous glances. Theo has an unfortunate history of social anxiety, especially in large gatherings of strangers, so it makes sense that he looks so worried. I, however, have been the designated Friend Group Extrovert for years. I love people. I’m great at these types of interactions. So why the hell is my heart pounding?
We arrive on the second floor, file out, and follow the next colorful sign to Room 207. Max eagerly leads the way through the door, where three chipper individuals greet us from behind a table. From the center, a tall man with umber skin and braids flashes Max a smile. “Hi, welcome to the Eidola Queer Alliance!”
“Thank you!” Max says with a grin, stepping forward with Theo close behind. I hover a few steps back.
“Come on up,” the man gestures to the plethora of items on the table. “Please, take a swag bag. It’s got some EQA-branded goodies, some information about the Alliance, and an activity schedule for September. We also have some pride friendship bracelets handmade by some of our members in the pink bucket here.”
Max and Theo comply, each taking a yellow bag, then peeking into the pink bucket. Their eyes light up as they dig through the beads.
“We only ask that you don’t take more than three bracelets so that there’s enough for everyone,” the man adds, still smiling widely. He then turns his enthusiastic gaze to me. “Swag bag?” he offers.
I hesitate. “That’s okay, I’m just here for?—”
“Oh, it’s okay! We have plenty for everyone!”
Not wanting to appear rude, I grab my own yellow bag and peer inside. As described, there are several EQA-branded items: a tube of lip balm, a miniature spiral notebook, a koozie, a heart-shaped keychain, a couple of pens, and, my favorite, a rainbow foam Eidola Phantom stress toy. There are also a few paper items that the greeter described, but I can look at all that boring stuff later. I excitedly pull out the foam Phantom and give it a firm squeeze.
The man laughs. “Yeah, that’s definitely been the crowd favorite.”
“I’m obsessed. He’s coming everywhere with me.”
“Happy to hear it!” He turns his attention back to Max and Theo. “Once you’ve picked your bracelets, feel free to mingle! There are name tags over here where you can also include pronouns if you’d like. And, of course, the pizza and soda are set up against the wall to the left. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to come talk to us!”
Theo’s arm emerges from the bead bucket, adorned in two bracelets—one with what I recognize as the bisexual flag colors, and the other a classic rainbow. “I got one to give to Caleb, too,” he says to me, beaming ear-to-ear.
Max follows, sporting three bracelets, and leads us to the name tag table. I try to figure out which flags they represent without asking, but Max spots me. With a knowing grin, he points to the pastel blue, pink, and white one. “Transgender.” Then, for the bracelet with different shades of blues, greens, and white, he says, “Gay Male Pride.” And finally, the bracelet with yellow, white, purple, and black. “Nonbinary. This one is for Jude.”
I smile. “Thanks, dude. I think I knew the trans and nonbinary ones, but I didn’t realize that gay men had a separate one.”
Max nods. “Yeah, the rainbow pride flag has kind of become the umbrella flag for the whole LGBTQIA+ community, so I guess gay men felt like they needed a men-loving-men specific flag in the same way lesbians have one.”
“That makes sense,” I say. “Those are dope colors, honestly.”
“Crap, should I get that one for Caleb instead of the rainbow?” Theo asks, a furrow in his brow.
“Here, I’ll grab the other one so Caleb can pick between the two,” I offer.
Theo smiles, relieved. “Thanks, man.”
I backtrack to the pink bucket, peer inside, and freeze. Holy shit, there are so many other colors and combinations. Pink, orange, and white. Pink, yellow, and blue. Purple, white, and green. Pink, white, purple, black, and blue. Black, gray, white, and purple. Green, white, gray, and black.
Are these all real? Are there really this many orientations and genders?
Maybe there’s a chance that whatever I am is in here, too.
It takes a few more seconds to spot the unique shade of teal from Max’s bracelet, so I reach in and grab it. Without another word, I slide back to Theo and slip the bracelet to him.
“Awesome, thank you so much, Oliver.”
