At Atlantic College, there's a community of LGBTQIA+ supporters and advocates called "Platform 6." They meet once a week to discuss different things, from how you can avoid stereotyping to planning to go to a march in Cardiff over the weekend (which is actually how they got their name. For their first rally, they took the train on platform 6 to get to Cardiff!).
Platform 6's most recent project was planning the percentage ball. The first thing they do to start celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community at our school is to find out the percentage of students who are queer! In order to do this, they gave out a survey at the house meeting that we have every Sunday, and asked people to write what sexuality with which they identify, whether or not their gender and sex match, and whether or not they consider themselves to be queer. They then announced the percentage at Monday morning assembly, after chanting:
"2, 4, 6, 8, how do you know your friends are straight? YOU DON'T!"
Our percentage of LGBTQIA+ students this year was... drumroll please... 21%! Interestingly enough, it was exactly the same last year! It's interesting because that means almost one person in every dorm room is queer, whether they're bisexual, pansexual, homosexual, or questioning. Pretty amazing, right? Definitely shows that if you're struggling with your sexuality, you are not alone!
After finding out the percentage of queer students at our school, we had a ball to celebrate them! The catch, however, is you must go to the ball with someone of the same sex. I went with my friend, Katie, who's also from the United States. I asked her by putting a fake ear (that was probably the weirdest thing I have ever ordered on the internet... the British government is probably tracking my computer now, after ordering fake body parts) in a box with a print of the painting "Starry Night" pasted on it, and writing, "Will you Vincent Van Gogh to percentage ball with me?" I know, I'm kind of a romantic. She surprised me by giving me a note telling me to meet her in my house's day room an hour before the ball, and she had set up a little table underneath two trees with fairy lights, music, soda, and a blanket! We talked and then walked down to the room where the percentage ball was held. There was a photo booth, refreshments, and lots of dancing! It was such a fun and wonderful way to celebrate our diverse community. On top of that, we also have a pride flag hanging in the day rooms of all seven houses on campus. I'm so lucky to go to such an accepting school!
Sitting at the table Katie set up
Katie and me at the photo booth
Friendship is beautiful
Another picture at the photo booth (I'm kind of an attention seeker, I guess?)
Our surprises for each other
