Side by Side offers alternative prom for Central VA’s LGBTQ youth

Brad Kutner
May 17, 2017

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Read More: Alt Prom in Richmond, Lacet Cross, Side by Side

It’s that time of year again, when students of all ages nervously ask their crushes or significant others if they will accompany them to their local spring dances or proms. And Side by Side, formerly ROSMY, has just the event for LGBTQ youth who often seek spaces that are uniquely theirs.

Side by Side is Central VA’s leading resource for LGBTQ youth and it’s long been their mission to offer an annual event free of judgement from student’s peers and school officials.

“[Side by Side] Prom continues to grow, we get more and more youth interested in attending every year,” said Ted Lewis, Executive Director of Side by Side. “We think this year is going to be one of our biggest year ever.”

Even as other kids and schools move towards being open and accepting places for sexual minority youth, Lewis is all too familiar with concerns from Side by Side’s youth members who say the group’s Prom is still really needed.

“They can bring a date of the same gender, or fully express their gender with what they want to wear,” Lewis said. “I think folks are still looking for that sense of connection and a safe space.”

And the space will not only be safe, it will also be all their own.

Side by Side Prom, much like other high school proms, is organized and created entirely by the youth themselves… with a little help from folks like Lacet Cross, Side by Side’s Admin and Coordinator who helped to oversee the youth as they plan the event.

According to Cross, the first step was brainstorming titles and themes.

“We had a plethora of ideas,” she said laughing. The kids were interested in addressing social issues as well as having a good time, that led to this year’s offering being a mashup of The Wizard of Oz and The Wiz called Over the Rainbow. It allowed the kids to create a unique mix of ethnic and sexual diversity inline with their own values.

“What can we wear, could we bring a real dog  in cause there’s Toto?” she said. “They love the ruby red slippers… those types of things.”

From there the kids were assigned to committees where they had to take on tasks like entertainment, decorations and food.

“They had major input on that,” Cross said. “It was all really cool.”

The big decisions came down to a lip-sync contest along with some large scale Wizard of Oz stand ups.

“We have a big photo backdrop of the yellow brick road, we also have the Scarecrow, Tin man and the Lion, as well as both witches,” she said. But one feature will stand out is the good witch being patient with brown skin. Many of the student organizers are part of Side by Side’s Youth Engaged in Leadership (YEL) program which aims to train future leaders within the LGBTQ community.

“This year, YEL has been intentional about intersectionality, how racial justice and LGBTQ equally come out, so they said they wanted the witch to be brown so I thought that was really awesome,” Cross said.

No matter the racial or sexual barriers the group hopes  to examine, Cross and Lewis know the event is sure to stand out for those who organized it as well as those who attend.

“And its not adults putting this on for young people, its young people in conversation with adults to put this together,” she said. “And we really listen.”

Decorations and final preparations start this Saturday, 10-2, at  First UU Church of Richmond 1000 Blanton Ave, Richmond, Virginia 23221, with the event kicking off from 7 to 11.

Find out more about the event here!

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