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Montana Responds To Orlando Shooting With Pride Rally

The gay pride rainbow was projected on UM's Main Hall last night
Mara Silvers
The gay pride rainbow was projected on UM's Main Hall last night

Organizers are expecting more than 1,500 people to attend the Big Sky Pride celebration in Great Falls this weekend.

But following the mass shooting at a gay club in Orlando this past weekend that left 50 people dead and 53 more injured, Big Sky Pride President Kev Hamm of Helena says he hopes the event that starts this afternoon will draw a much bigger crowd.

 

Close to 5,000 people attended last year's parade in Missoula.

The weekend celebration includes meals, entertainment and dancing, along with a bike ride, parade and rally on Saturday.

It is open to all members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, and those who support them.

 
In Missoula, nearly 100 people gathered in front of the University of Montana’s Main Hall last night to see a rainbow.

The plain brick building was lit with the colors of the gay pride flag to support the victims of last Sunday’s massacre in Orlando.

“We were all saddened on behalf of those folks in Orlando, of course, but on behalf of all of us. Our university, our community, our country," said UM President Royce Engstrom.

Engstrom recognized Shane Sangrey, the student resource advisor in UM’s Native American Center for Excellence who suggested lighting Main Hall with rainbow colors.

“Missoula and the University of Montana is a very special place, and it is no surprise to me that all of you gathered tonight and gathered on Sunday night, because that’s who we are in Missoula. We look out for one another, we support one another, and we strive to make the world a better place," Engstrom said.

UM’s Lambda Alliance is one of several groups on campus supporting members of the LGBTQ community.

Lambda’s Sarah Smith is a self-described “super-senior” studying Communications and Psychology.

“I got a call earlier today from the dean of students, Rhondie Voorhees, and she said she had a surprise for us and we should be here at 9:45," Smith said. "There are two kinds of surprises: scary, and the kind that make you cry. I was quite certain that it would be the one that made me cry, though I didn’t know what it was.”

President Engstrom said the rainbow lighting was symbolic of the university’s support for the LGBTQ community.

Smith says she sees that support on campus but adds there is still work to be done.

“There are still instances of people not being safe or not feeling safe or included. But I think that’s changing in a big way.”

Smith says an environment of inclusivity is a good place to start.

President Engstrom voiced a similar call to action for inclusivity.

“We must do everything we can, as a community, and as a nation, as a world to keep these things from happening in the first place," he said.

The President closed his remarks with a vision for the symbolic lighting in days to come.

“So in a few moments, we’re going to light Main Hall with the rainbow colors. And these colors will stay throughout the weekend as our symbol, as our reminder, of what happened last weekend, but more importantly, our reminder of the responsibility that we have to ourselves to take care of one another, and to make sure that every life counts, that every life matters in this world.”

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