NMU’s annual Gender Fair took place on Friday, March 28, and was open to all students and community members. Many on-campus groups and classes were represented at the fair through tabling and educational posters.
The Gender Fair aimed to educate students about different topics ranging from gender identity and sexual orientation to toxic masculinity and feminism.
“The gender fair is a really good way to help people who maybe don’t understand, or who are curious about topics like menstruation and gender,” freshman Claire Hubble said, who was running a booth on period education. “Sometimes people are afraid to ask questions, or it can be a little uncomfortable, so they can just come here and look at the boards. They don’t have to talk to anyone if they don’t want to, but they can see all this stuff and get educated in a super friendly setting.”
Diversity in Disability focused on educating about different queer activists who also have disabilities.
“I love seeing the community come together in a really positive way, because we don’t see that very often,” said Eliza Volz, member of Diversity in Disability.
The Gender Fair also hosted groups from the community that are not directly related to NMU.
“Being in the Upper Peninsula, it can feel isolating [for the queer community] and knowing that there are other people here outside of the university setting, can be comforting, especially in the summer,” said Lex Exworthy, representative for UP Rainbow Pride.
Students agreed that the Gender Fair was an educational event.
“[I learned] a lot of new songs and books that I should read, and I’m learning a lot about the history of [the queer community],” student M.J. Miller said. “One of the first posters that I saw was about the fetishization of lesbians. I knew that that was a thing, but I learned a lot more about it.”
Some students created posters in their classes that were displayed at the fair.
“I have learned so much about the LGBTQ community,” said Josie Hamilla, a student who contributed to the fair through her U.S. Politics class. “[Events like this] are important to make people feel heard and appreciated, because we do want to respect everyone, and especially during this time with an administration that is trying to push the LGBTQ+ community down, it’s really important to uplift them and let their voices be heard.”
