Caution tape surrounded the members of Spectrum, Elon University's queer-straight alliance, as senior Raafe Purnsley, speaking as a carnival ringmaster, called the Elon community to observe them behaving...normal. The event, titled the Queer Zoo, mocked the social stigma that defines queers as 'other' Thursday afternoon in the Academic Pavilion.
"When people think of going to a zoo they think they are going to see something foreign, but from a safe distance," said Purnsley, a member of Spectrum.
Nevertheless, the Queer Zoo spins this idea on its head and demonstrates that the population does not need to be contained or observed.
"It speaks to the fact that we're not other, so why is there a need to section us off," Purnsley said.
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According to Purnsley, queer is not only used to describe those belonging to the LGBTQIA community, but also refers to anyone that thinks liberally or openly. The new definition enables queer to represent ideology rather than sexuality.
"You can be heterosexual and queer because you don't think sexuality is black and white," he said.
Although, according to Purnsley, not everyone is comfortable forcibly making people view them as different, the event communicates queer cannot not be identified visually. If someone identifying as straight entered the gated space, a viewer would not be able to distinguish who was queer or not, he said.
"What you learn by coming to the Queer Zoo, is queers are just like you," Purnsley said.
The Queer Zoo is part of a series of events Spectrum organized in celebration of Pride Week. Pride Week, observed at Elon April 16 to 21, commemorates the Stonewall rebellion during which gay and lesbian patrons resisted the police that raided Stonewall Inn, a gay club in New York. The riot sparked the LGBT movement that has continued since the resistance in 1969.
The week culminates with the National Day of Silence.
Stay with The Pendulum for more coverage of Pride Week events.