Members of the Genders and Sexualities Alliance on Thursday prepared for the student club’s annual dance, scheduled for this Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Students are welcome to join in on the festivities, like dancing and karaoke, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Student Union. 

The event, “MasQUEERade 2024,” will feature costumes and karaoke.

“[It’s] to exemplify connections and celebrate our queer identities,” Ellie Jasen, a sixth-year mechatronics student and GSA president, said. “I’m hoping to demonstrate a sense of community for … queer students.”

First-year student a Daphne Breneman-Weller, the club’s vice president, put together a makeshift tuxedo for the event and spent Thursday’s mask-making meeting creating a bejeweled rainbow mask to wear to the dance.

“[I want] people … to be able to be their true selves in a safe space,” Breneman-Weller said. “And not only the LGBTQ+ community, but allies.”

Both club officers stressed their intention to create a sanctuary for all students 

“I think it’s really important right now, following the results of the election, that we [show students] a sense of community and that we celebrate our identity,” Jasen added.