Pridefest Debuts at MIT with Qwear and Amanda Shea

MIT held their first Pridefest on Friday, July 11. Hosted by TransMIT, MIT Pridefest was a campus-wide celebration of LGBTQ+ identity, creativity, and community held at Kresge Oval sponsored by Qwear, the MIT Graduate Student Union, the Transgender Emergency Fund, the Council for the Arts at MIT, and the De Flores Fund for Humor.

With our Qwear Zine cover model Amanda Shea as MC, the event drew hundreds from the MIT community and beyond. Visitors enjoyed a full line-up of performances, Del’s lemonade, vendors including a Qwear table, and speeches from Qwear’s Co-Owners, Sonny and Ru. The MIT Coalition for Palestine sent a representative to Pridefest to reaffirm the unity of the queer community with oppressed peoples worldwide.

"MIT is the home of most of the most incredible people I've ever met, and it's worth fighting for. Today showed us that we'll never be fighting alone."

— Julia Turcotti, MIT Pridefest Organizer

Julia Turcotti, one of MIT Pridefest's organizers, shared her team's dedication to building on both the strength and the joy of MIT's community through the celebration. "MIT is the home of most of the most incredible people I've ever met, and it's worth fighting for. Today showed us that we'll never be fighting alone."

Qwear co-owners Sonny Oram and Ru with Qwear Zine cover model Amanda Shea

Get your Qwear Pride Zine here

Qwear table featuring our Social Media and Content Development Intern, Zala Mendelson. All items for sale here.

Tuck Bokkii

CMYKennedy Designs, by Marissa Kennedy

MT Hart, Boston's premiere pretty boy and your new favorite genderfuck pop star

Speech from James with MIT Coalition for Palestine

@jules_the_rev_2.0

Del’s Lemonade, the best slushie on earth

Mina Troy, Qwear’s Faerie Queen

Amanda Shea performs original poem “Social Media”