This last Wednesday night was the Tarleton State University LGBTQ rally. The night was full of games, food, face painting, artwork, dancing and so much more. The intention behind the rally was to bring awareness and acceptance of the LGBTQ community on the Tarleton campus.

There were about 25 various members of the club present running booths, handing out flyers and keeping the energy up. There were countless participants in the games and activities.

The booth for the Office of Diversity was present, and James Dinh of Student Counseling Services said “We are teaching students how important it is to take care of yourself.”

Their booth featured a whiteboard in which students could come by and write their own ways they vow to practice self-care both mentally and physically.

Several of the booths were there to promote different minority groups on campus. One of the groups is called MENtal Freedom.

“MENtal Freedom is a mentoring program focused on graduation and retention of traditionally under-represented men of color,” their brochure explained.

Another group present was the Tarleton Ally Program. This group handed out brochures about the Tarleton Gay-Straight alliance. In their brochure, they were sure to let you know what you can do as an ally.

Some of the examples were “Get educated, ask questions, recognize privilege, and listen to answers.”

Another brochure handed out was the advertisement of Gender and Sexuality Studies minor offered on campus. This minor offers several courses you can take to educate yourself on minorities, such as cultural studies, gender in US history, gender in society, human rights and many more.

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion put on the rally by allowing each group to come and be a part of the night. To learn more about any of these groups, visit the Tarleton webite, follow them on Twitter, or find them on Facebook.