On Wednesday, April 10, Queer Asians and Allies, the Black Queer Kids’ Association, and the DeColores Collective, a Latina and Latinx gay and transgender affection organization, hosted a drink party at the University of Connecticut’s Eastern American Cultural Center club in the Student Union. The event’s brand is a play on words, as the word “T4T” refers to the union of two trans people.
Gentle snacks, snacks, and drinks were provided. Additionally, a boiler was provided for heating the ocean. Grian Wizner, president of DeColores, provided some mugs for those who didn’t bring their own.
When asked what it means to be a queer person of color, Justin Burchell, who attended the event at Wizner’s request and wasn’t affiliated with any of the organizations, said, “Intersectionality is an aspect of that.” In regards to his place of employment, he stated that Trinity Health is a respectable spiritual institution, and that he is “huge aware of how others perceive me.” There is that social persecution with Christianity, but the thoughts are still there.” When asked about expressing one’s self-confidence and self-expression, Burchell said, “I find myself suppressing parts of myself at home and school, like at Walmart, until I have to experience it again, like at work, because I notice how I change how I talk and become more designated.”
The three agencies’ official opening ceremony took place when they presented their objectives with a slideshow of their e-boards and their respective organizations’ mission statements.
The audience members then gave their names, nouns, the drink they chose or brought, and the business they most identified with as their introductions. Every time one introduced themselves, the crowd applauded.
Rilee Roldan, chairman of Queer Asians and Allies, said to the market, “It’s almost the end of the semester. How are we feeling?” encouraging the viewers to discuss “tea,” or privately-involved information. Erick Cheng, an e-board member of Queer Asians and Allies, said, “Confidentiality is very important.”
There were four discussion queries to avoid the typical presentation format of data alongside a slide to encourage socializing and camaraderie among the audience members. “What song or artist do you prefer to listen to right now?,” “How would you describe your sense of style?,” and “If you could only drink one thing forever (cannot be water), what would it be?” and “Do you have any pets? If no, what is your vision puppy”? When considering alternatives to water, the following query came upward: “Do we have to deal with the wellbeing consequences”? Because the question was hypothetical, the room agreed that there wouldn’t be any health issues. As a result, responses to the question varied from “I may drink large-free cheese” to “I’m lactose intolerant. Hell it, shakes.”
When Beyoncé was mentioned in a discussion about current audio tastes, the crowd clapped and cheered. Wizner said, “My favorite music correctly then is ‘Like A Stone’ by Audioslave. It makes me think of my father. Burchell said, “This is a hot take, but ‘we can’t be friends’ by Ariana Grande. Musicians can be difficult, but I can still appreciate the music.” Therefore, classical music was introduced during the discussion at the table. Allison De Angelis, treasurer of Queer Asians and Allies, said, “My friend used to listen to a lot of Mozart” before going on a passionate tangent about how much she loved part one of Antonio Vivaldi’s “Spring” from “The Four Seasons”.
When asked when DeColores meets, Wizner said to verify DeColores’ Instagram @decloresuconn. Justin Christie, leader of the Black Queer Kids’ Association, said that BQSA meets “Tuesdays from 6 to 7 p.m. at the African American Cultural Center”. Queer Asians and Allies meet “every other Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Eastern American Cultural Center software room,” according to Chen.
