Oakland University to celebrate its annual Pride Month March 9-April 9

Oakland University will celebrate diversity in sexual orientation and gender identity with its annual Pride Month, which takes place from Monday, March 9 through Thursday, April 9.

The month features a variety of events including the Transgender Day of Visibility, 21st annual OU Drag Show and 7th annual Tim Larrabee Memorial Lecture. This year’s lecture features Mike McGuinness, an Oakland University alumnus and former student body president who recently was elected Pontiac’s first openly gay mayor.

Check out the full event schedule below. All events are free and open to the public. For additional information about Pride Month at OU, visit oakland.edu/gsc/pride-month.

2026 Pride Month Events

4th Annual BBQueer Pride Month Kickoff
Monday, March 9 from Noon-2 PM in 159 NFH
Join us as we kick off Pride Month with our 4th Annual BBQueer. Enjoy free food, games, music, and more!
Sponsored by OU GSC, OU LGBTQIA ERG, and Magna

SAFE on Campus Training
Tuesday, March 10 from Noon - 1:30 PM on Zoom
Whether you've been SAFE (Students, Administrators and Faculty for Equality) trained in the past or this is your first time, you're invited to join us in learning! SAFE Training has provided the campus community with basic information about LGBTQ+ identities and active allyship since 2003. Our SAFE Training curriculum is ever evolving, and formally updated annually.
Presented by OU GSC

The Queer Agenda Weekly Meeting: Understanding Food Insecurity
Wednesday, March 11 from 3-5 PM in 159 NFH
Join us for our weekly meeting of the Queer Agenda, where LGBTQ+ students and allies work together to grow as leaders, build political literacy, and engage in mutual aid.
Facilitated by OU GSC

Sapphic & Lesbian Community Night (PowerPoint Night)
Wednesday, March 11 from 5-7 PM in the GSC (104J NFH)
Join us for community and education centering sapphic and lesbian identities/communities. 
Facilitated by OU GSC

The Queer Agenda Weekly Meeting: CPR, AED & First Aid Certification *REGISTRATION REQUIRED*
Wednesday, March 18 from 3-5 PM in 159 NFH
Join us for our weekly meeting of the Queer Agenda, where LGBTQ+ students and allies work together to grow as leaders, build political literacy, and engage in mutual aid. This week, we’re getting CPR, AED, and First Aid Certified! Must register in advance. Cost will be covered by the GSC.
Facilitated by OU RecWell. Sponsored by OU GSC.

Multisexual Community Night (PowerPoint Night)
Wednesday, March 18 from 5-7 PM in the GSC (104J NFH)
Join us for community and education centering bisexual, pansexual, queer and other multisexual identities/communities. This month we’ll be hosting PowerPoint Night! Create a presentation about anything related to bisexual/pansexual/queer identities, people, events, etc. to share with the group. (For example: What bisexual means to me.) It can be silly or serious, super short or up to 20 minutes long. We can’t wait to learn more about you!
Facilitated by OU GSC

7th Annual Larrabee Lecture featuring Mayor Mike McGuinness
Thursday, March 19 at 5-6:30 PM in 159 NFH
Join us as we welcome distinguished OU alumnus, newly elected mayor of Pontiac, Mike McGuinness as our keynote speaker. In addition to serving as OU's first openly gay Student Congress President, Mayor McGuinness played a vital role in the creation of OU's Gender and Sexuality Center and has continued to break barriers as an openly gay public servant ever since.
Sponsored by the Tim Larrabee Memorial Lecture Fund, Magna, and OU GSC

Drag Queen Bingo at Pronto (Royal Oak)
Friday, March 20 at 5 PM (Bus Departure Time)
Tickets on Sale at the OSI Service Window - $25 for students, $30 for guests.
MUST RIDE PROVIDED BUS THERE AND BACK
Sponsored by SPB

Movement & Meaning: Queer Stories in Motion
Monday, March 23 at 7 PM in Varner Recital Hall
Movement & Meaning: Queer Stories in Motion is an expressive evening of dance and mental health awareness that centers the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ individuals through movement. Featuring performances by Oakland University dancers, each piece explores mental health issues that impact the LGBTQ+ community, including societal attitudes toward and oppression of LGBTQ+ persons, suicide, anxiety, substance use, and LGBTQ+ resilience. Between dance pieces, Graduate Counseling Students will share brief educational insights about the mental health issues impacting LGBTQ+ communities, helping the audience to connect the movement they see on stage with real-world experiences and research. Following the performances, audience members are invited to remain for a panel discussion that will further explore the themes presented, the intersection of dance and mental health, and the importance of affirming care and community support for LGBTQ+ individuals.
Sponsored by The Pride Project (OU Department of Counseling) and the OU Department of Dance

Through OU Student Eyes: Women and Gender Studies Film Festival
Tuesday, March 24 (Time and Location TBD)
Join the Women & Gender Studies program in this annual celebration of identity, community, belonging, gender and sexuality.

The Queer Agenda Weekly Meeting: Legal Observer Training *Registration is required
Wednesday, March 25 from 3-5 PM in 159 NFH
Join us for our weekly meeting of the Queer Agenda, where LGBTQ+ students and allies work together to grow as leaders, build political literacy, and engage in mutual aid. Legal Observers are volunteers trained by the National Lawyers Guild who attend demonstrations to:
- Monitor and document law enforcement behavior toward activists
- Work with NLG attorneys to coordinate arrest support for activists on the ground
- Serve as a deterrent to unconstitutional behavior by law enforcement
All attendees MUST register prior to this event.
Facilitated by the National Lawyers Guild. Sponsored by OU GSC.

Asexual & Aromantic Community Night
Wednesday, March 25 from 5-7 PM in the GSC (104J NFH)
Join us for community and education centering asexual and aromantic identities/communities. This month we’ll be hosting PowerPoint Night! Create a presentation about anything related to asexual/aromantic identities, people, events, etc. to share with the group. (For example: Things I wish people would stop asking me as an aromantic person.) It can be silly or serious, super short or up to 20 minutes long. We can’t wait to learn more about you!
Facilitated by OU GSC

Transgender Day of Visibility: Day of Learning
Monday, March 30 from 10 AM-4 PM in 159 NFH
Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) is celebrated around the world on March 31st each year. Join us in the GSC as we prepare for our 3rd Annual Trans Visibility March and engage in service projects aimed to support transgender and nonbinary communities.
Sponsored by OU GSC and Magna

3rd Annual Trans Visibility March
Monday, March 30 beginning at 4 PM (Departing from 159 NFH)
In 2024, following the death of Nex Benedict, OU students took it upon themselves to create a new TDOV tradition, marching through campus making their presence known, demanding that the campus community recognize the harms faced by kids like Nex who grow into young adults such as themselves. This year we will continue this tradition, bravely choosing to be seen in a world which often seeks to silence us - and standing alongside those in our community who need our support. 
Facilitated by SAGE

Transgender & Nonbinary Community Night (PowerPoint Night)
Monday, March 30 from 5-7 PM in the GSC (104J NFH)
Join us for community and education centering transgender, nonbinary, agender, and gender nonconforming identities/communities. 
Facilitated by OU GSC

21st Annual Drag Show
March 31 in Oakland Center Banquet Rooms
Doors Open at 6 PM, Show Begins at 7 PM
Your favorite day of the year is finally here! Join us for our 21st Annual OU Drag Show featuring Sabin and a cast of all-star local performers, plus student amateur drag debuts! Plus free food!
Presented by SAGE and OU GSC, with generous support from Magna, OUSC and SAFB. Co-sponsored by...TBD

The Queer Agenda Weekly Meeting: Protest Safety
Wednesday, April 1 from 3-5 PM in 159 NFH
Join us for our weekly meeting of the Queer Agenda, where LGBTQ+ students and allies work together to grow as leaders, build political literacy, and engage in mutual aid.
Facilitated by OU GSC

Achillean & Gay Community Night
Wednesday, April 1 from 5-7 PM in the GSC (104J NFH)
Join us for community and education centering Achillean and gay (male/man/masc) identities/communities. 
Facilitated by OU GSC

11th Annual Pride Prom
Wednesday, April 1 from 7-10 PM in OC Ballrooms
Prom wasn't the best experience for all of us, so let's do it right! Join us as we celebrate our 11th year of Pride Prom - the queer and gender affirming dance party and game night you never knew you needed. Free food, tons of fun!
Sponsored by SAGE, OU GSC, Magna and more TBD

Read with Pride: A Browse & Borrow Event
Tuesday, April 7th from 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM in 242 Kresge Library (Nyberg Room)
Come explore hundreds of LGBTQ+ themed and authored books on display, both fiction and nonfiction titles. All books are available for checkout. There will be coloring page bookmarks, pride buttons and stickers, as well as other giveaways. All are welcome!
Presented by OU Libraries

The Queer Agenda Weekly Meeting: Information Literacy
Wednesday, April 8 from 3-5 PM in 159 NFH
Join us for our weekly meeting of the Queer Agenda, where LGBTQ+ students and allies work together to grow as leaders, build political literacy, and engage in mutual aid.
Facilitated by OU GSC

Achillean & Gay Community Night (PowerPoint Night)
Wednesday, April 8 from 5-7 PM in the GSC (104J NFH)
Join us for community and education centering Achillean and gay (male/man/masc) identities/communities. This month we’ll be hosting PowerPoint Night! Create a presentation about anything related to gay/achillean/MLM identities, people, events, etc. to share with the group. (For example: My Heated Rivalry headcanons.) It can be silly or serious, super short or up to 20 minutes long. We can’t wait to learn more about you!
Facilitated by OU GSC

13th Annual Lavender Graduation
Thursday, April 9 from 5 -7 PM
Celebrating 2026 LGBTQ+ and Ally Graduates.
Winter (April) 2026, Summer (August) 2026, and Fall (December) 2026 Graduates: Register by March 15.
Sponsored by OU GSC and Magna

About OU Pride Month
OU Pride Month is a university-wide collaboration, presenting opportunities to learn from and about the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, questioning and asexual (LGBTQIA) community. In the U.S., Pride Month is traditionally celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall uprising in Manhattan, a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement. Today, Pride Month events attract millions of participants worldwide. The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that LGBTQIA individuals have had on history on local, national, and international levels.

About The Tim Larrabee Memorial Lecture
The Tim Larrabee Memorial Lecture is named in honor of Dr. Timothy G. Larrabee, an Oakland University associate professor of teacher development and educational studies who, for more than a decade, was a passionate teacher, researcher and advocate for the LGBTQIA community on and off campus. Dr. Larrabee founded the SOGI Initiative, which aimed to create a safe, welcoming supportive and inclusive campus climate for all students, staff, faculty and administrators regardless of sex, gender identity or sexual orientation, as well as to advocate for the larger LGBTQIA community.