Students and faculty braved the autumn chill to gather in the Stern Great Room on Monday, Oct. 3 to hold Spectrum’s second annual Stonewall Vigil.

Gustavo Garcia ’12, a speaker at the event, commented on the attendance despite the weather. “It was an amazing experience to see members of the Dickinson community taking the time to honor those who have worked so hard to make the Dickinson Community and our society into a more accepting place for LGBTQ individuals. It allowed me to see that we are reaching out to more than just the members of Spectrum and our friends, but to other circles in the community,” explained Garcia.

The first annual Stonewall Vigil examined LGBTQ issues, as a reaction to last year’s national increase in homophobic attacks and related suicides. This year’s vigil focus was more locally oriented. Throughout the event, a number of students reflected upon their time at Dickinson and how LGBTQ issues and the culture of this campus has drastically changed in the past couple years.

Many senior members of Spectrum, while happy with the progress this campus has made since their first year, still assert that more positive changes need to occur to create a safe environment for all students.

“Homophobia and issues of gender continue to oppress students on this campus,” said Peter Shapiro ’14. Shapiro emphasized that Dickinson College much like the rest of the nation has not achieved a post-gay era.

“One of our goals this year is to reach out to other organizations on this campus to break down boundaries,” Gaven Trinidad ’12 said. Some of Spectrum’s upcoming events for this school year include Spectrum’s Queertastic Halloween Extravaganza, Talking Sex and Rihanna’s Sassy & Mischievous Dance Party.

Spectrum was first established at Dickinson in the spring of 2000 with the purpose of raising awareness of LGBTQ issues and helping provide a friendly environment for LGBTQ individuals. Over the past couple years Spectrum has expanded not only in membership but also their engagement on this campus.

On the future of the organization, Charlie Lidard ’12 spoke candidly: “We’re making moves…. everyone wants to catch a slice of the action.”