On April 14, the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh LGBTQ Resource Center hosted the inaugural LGBTQ Ally Day, which included a march to symbolize the campus community’s dedication to fighting for and protecting members of the LGBTQ community.

Liz Cannon, director of the LGBTQ Resource Center, said this about the march:

“The LGBTQ Ally March is the chance for all of us to step forward proudly in support of our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender friends, daughters, fathers, sisters, brothers, next-door neighbors, teachers — anyone in our community who is LGBTQ. Straight allies are one of the cornerstones of the LGBTQ community, and lesbians standing up for transgender folk, standing up for their gay brothers is what strengthens the community.

“On this day, we celebrated allies and their dedication to making our schools, communities, countries and world both safe and more accepting of all differences.”

More than 150 people from across the Fox Valley attended the LGBTQ Ally March. Speakers included Chancellor Richard H. Wells, Provost Lane Earns and Katie Belanger (pictured at left), executive director of Fair Wisconsin. The March also featured emotionally moving life stories from Tom Scofield, an associate professor in the College of Education and Human Services, and Travis Swanson, a UW Oshkosh student. Troy Landry, a senior at UWO, read his poem “He’s My Friend Too!” — the winner of the Ally March Poetry Contest.