“I say Cougar, you say pride!”

Members of the ASI LGBTQ Pride Center chanted this phrase as they marched throughout campus for the Pride Walk.

The march was held on April 4 during U-hour in front of University Hall. It marked the beginning of gAyPril, a month-long celebration of Pride.

LGBTQ Pride is celebrated in June in honor of the Stonewall riots that occurred in New York in 1969. To celebrate LGBTQ Pride before the end of the semester, CSUSM celebrates in April.

The Pride Center had a table for students to sign in and receive a free blue T-shirt, bracelets, pins and flags. Rainbow arrows indicated the path of the walk starting from University Plaza to the USU.

Students carried a signed banner as they walked. That banner and last year’s banner are on display at the Pride Center, which is located on the third floor of the USU.

Sophomore student Sun Quanjun, a peer educator at the Pride Center, helped coordinate the event and said it encourages students to show support for the LGBTQ community.

“Celebrate your pride in a visible way, and be friendly to the community,” said Quanjun.

Quanjun invited everyone to visit the Pride Center and to find out more information on upcoming events.

Members of the Pride Center will be attending the San Diego Pride Parade on July 15. To sign up to receive emails about the parade registration, go to bit.ly/CSUSMPride2017.