Coinciding with 2022’s Trans Day of Visibility, on March 31 the Qube will be holding their ninth annual Qubie Gayla, an awards event focused on honoring LGBT and ally staff, students, and community members for their efforts in the LGBT community here at Stout.
There will be 14 awards presented this year, with each being awarded to an individual who made an impact in Stout’s LGBT community, according to Nicole Eastman, the current program coordinator at the Qube. She then explained a bit about the nomination and election process.
“This year a committee of volunteers from the EDI Office outside of the Qube reviewed nominations and then voted on each winner. I chaired the committee as a nonvoting member. Nominations were collected on Connect from students, staff, and faculty. There are a few awards that are chosen differently. GSA selects their GSA member of the year, and the Out@Stout Housing staff select the Out@Stout Resident of the Year. The Qubie of the Year is selected by the Qube student staff.”
Eastman then extended an invitation to the student body and staff.
“Anyone can attend the Gayla even if you weren’t nominated, and it’s a really fun event to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community at Stout. This is a great event to come to with your friends and enjoy free desserts, a photobooth area, and keynote speech in addition to the awards ceremony. If you aren’t able to attend in person there will be a livestream option as well.”The Qubie Gayla will be held on 31 of March in the MSC Great Hall at 7pm. More information regarding the Gayla, a list of the different awards being presented and the link to the livestream option can be found on the Qubie Gayla Connect page here.
