A floor-to-ceiling screen projected Michael Jackson music videos that illuminated the dance hall. The disc jockey interrupted his spinning to throw on “Thriller,” and dancers lined up to show off their monster moves.
The annual Other Prom, a dance for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth ages 12 to 20, was held for the first time at the Wexner Center on Saturday. The performance space was filled with laughter as the teenagers performed the famous zombie dance.
Mardi Gras masks, beads and glow sticks adorned the GLBT youth for this year’s Mask-gay-rade theme. Girls in tuxedos and boys in heels danced with their friends.
“I had a blast. It was fun being with the person I wanted to be with. That made it even better,” said Ariel Hammie, who sported a little black dress.
Kaleidoscope Youth Center, located across the street from the Wexner Center, has organized the annual Other Prom for 16 years. Kaleidoscope is the only GLBT organization in Ohio that focuses solely on youth, said Jennifer Gilbride-Brown, the executive director for Kaleidoscope.
Kaleidoscope is a nonprofit organization that has two full-time members that work with volunteers to coordinate activities for GLBT youth. The center is open to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and offers a space for the youth to make friends, gain support and engage in activities in a comfortable environment, said Renee Auckerman, a volunteer who helped found Kaleidoscope in 1994.
Jean Pitman, the Wexner Center’s educator for youth events, said she has been a volunteer at Kaleidoscope for more than a year. She heard about the youth center during her first week at OSU and has been working with them ever since.
“(Kaleidoscope Youth Center) is one of the most diverse atmospheres in Columbus,” Pitman said while observing the energy of the dance floor.
Pitman said the youth center is filled with teenagers that come from various ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. She contacted Kaleidoscope to host Other Prom as she yearns to bring a variety of the non-OSU community into the Wexner Center.
The mission behind Other Prom is to provide a safe space where confident or questioning youth can “be teenagers and socialize” without the pressures of feeling scrutinized or unaccepted for their sexuality, said Glenn Zermeno, who works full-time alongside Gilbride-Brown for Kaleidoscope.
Zermeno said the GLBT group makes up 25 to 40 percent of the homeless youth in the nation. Volunteers only discuss issues such as this when the youth come to them for help, advice and comfort.
Gilbride-Brown, Pitman, Zermeno and the volunteers worked together to provide food, drinks, lights, music and a photographer for the dance.
Behind the refreshment table stood Jed Hudson, a 35-year-old volunteer. He helped pass out non-alcoholic drinks to the youth.
“I came out and wanted to volunteer with gay youth. I searched around on the internet and then filled out an application online for Kaleidoscope,” Hudson said.
At 10 p.m., the youth were invited to participate in a dance-off. Applause from the audience determined the two lucky winners, who were both girls.
“I have a lot of support and a lot of friends. Without them I wouldn’t have been able to do it,” Monique Harrison said after she was crowned queen.
Tanicqua Hamilton, an 18-year-old extroverted lesbian, was crowned king after dancing in her slacks, vest and tie. She said she is not shy about her sexuality and earlier that evening eagerly stepped away from dancing to be photographed.
Gilbride-Brown said this type of pride is what Kaleidoscope encouraged from its youth by hosting the Other Prom.
