What Does Pride Mean to Different Generations of Queer SU Students?
When thinking of Pride Month, most people think about rainbows and parades. However, when talking to past LGBTQ+ Southwestern students, it is clear pride is so much more than this.
This June, 2026, marks 27 years of Pride Month. This is the month where queer people celebrate their identity, as well as thank those that came before them. We thank those who put their lives on the line for people today to live authentically. While pride has always been a protest, it has not always been as accessible as it is now.
I had the absolute honor of chatting with different generations of Southwestern University’s queer students, where I asked the question of what pride means to them.
Jim Croxford (Zalles) ‘82: Jim shares that during his time at SU, “pride” wasn’t a term used like it is today. Being proud and authentic wasn’t something that was celebrated in the way we celebrate it now. However, to Jim, pride means being a person that is 100% authentic. Whether that be your sexuality, gender, race, class, or anything in between, Jim understands pride as an all encompassing concept that shapes a person’s life.
Jason Ragsdale: ‘96: When thinking about Pride, Jason recognizes his privilege of growing older. He has lived through a time where no one was out, and now he sees how quickly representation has changed. However, he is glad the cause is persisting, and calls pride a representation of “collective unity.”
Ame Barrier ‘97: To Ame, pride means something different that it does to others. She believes pride is looking back at history and those that came before us. It’s about creating safe spaces throughout history, and across different spaces. Pride is showing that as a community, we can survive anything, and we won’t be erased. We are here to stay.
Hector Ruiz ‘10: Hector highlights that while many people think of pride as being out and loud, he sees it as something that is as simple as just showing up. He recognizes that not everyone has the privilege to be out, so to him, pride is showing up for those people for everyone regardless of where they are in their journey with their sexuality.
Kayla Ingram ‘20: To fully understand how Kayla sees pride, she shares a story from her time at SU. She faced a lot of pushback while planning the 2018 Transgender Day of Remembrance Vigil. She was feeling worn down, and almost defeated from planning this event. This is when a member suggested a “yarn bombing”. Members of Pirates 4 Pride sat outside of McCombs Campus Center, and wrapped yarn around two of the flagpoles. Random students then joined them, and suddenly they crocheted hearts to weave in, they made art to hang up, they brought their own ribbon and yarn and shiny things. In that moment of being silly and childlike, they were a community. They were bonded not only by holding the vigil in the face of backlash, but also by sharing a time of joy. To Kayla Ingram, pride is finding joy as a community despite all of the negatives.
Anonymous ‘20: As a transgender person, this person sees pride as better getting to know oneself. They recognize that the unknown can provoke a lot of fear, but pride brings acceptance with it. However, it is a process, so it is important to be kind to yourself while you go on this journey of self discovery.
Anonymous ‘25: When asking this person what pride means to them, they provided me with some of the most moving words I’ve heard since asking this question. To them, pride ranges from gender affirming haircuts, getting called sir, their HRT shot waiting in a drawer, and experiencing life with their fem. But it’s about more than that too. It’s about supporting and protecting their trans siblings, leaving flowers on their graves, and generally being there for your community. As they said, “Pride is how we continue to survive and fight.”
When starting this project, I had my answer of what pride meant to me, but as I connected with more LGBTQ+ people who have inhabited this place before me, my perspective shifted. While pride is still the people I love, the family I have chosen, and the life I live, it is also more than that. It’s about being in love with someone not despite, but regardless of what people may say. It’s about holding hands in public, wearing the clothes I feel the most myself in, and standing on my tiptoes to kiss my girlfriend’s cheek.
While the phrase “love is love” is cheesy and overused, so many people fought for us to even have this phrase to use. I have felt a great sense of pride from getting to connect with my ancestors in the struggle. I quite simply would not be here without them and the work that they have done.
Pride is sharing these stories. Pride is memory.
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