|
From DallasVoice.com Pride Gayla Prom celebrates a decade of providing a haven for gay youth
But once he he attended the Gayla Prom, that all changed. "Going there was, for once, a normal high school experience," says Laepaul, now 21. "I could be happy I was there. It was the first time I didn't feel isolated from everyone else. It was the first time I didn't feel alone." Perhaps most remarkable for him was simply walking into the event seeing hundreds of gay teens in one place, all having a good time. Even after attending events at Youth First Texas, Laepaul had no idea the scope of the gay community. "I was kind of excited to see that there were that many in Dallas," he says. That's the kind of reaction Sean Baugh loves to hear, and what keeps him volunteering his time. "I remember the first time a kid came up to me and said, "'Omigosh, I just danced with another guy for the first time!'" he recounts. "I was hooked from there. That's what it's all about." During the five years Baugh has worked with the Gayla Prom, he has occasionally wondered whether it is still necessary whether society has become accepting enough that a separate event is superfluous. But there's always something that happens to remind him it is still needed. "We still get stories at school where schools will not allow an attendee to bring a same-sex guest, or where they put lots of roadblocks in front of you, or where it is still so controversial you can only come as a single guest straight or gay," he says. "Even if you can go, who wants to be stared at throughout their prom?" And the growth of Gayla Prom speaks for itself. "When it started, they had 20 attendees," Baugh says; "we were up to 450 last year. This is my fifth year, and even since then it's grown from 250 kids. By the sheer numbers, it is still valid." Indeed, it seems to be growing in popularity even among straight youth. "I think it's becoming more mainstream and accepted," says Laepaul. "I have a friend who's straight and she brought her boyfriend last year. It's becoming more of a "'hey we want to be part of this' thing to do." Baugh, who for the second year is serving as chairman of the event, concurs. "It open to straight, gay, questioning we don't care," he says. "I'd say about 25 percent of our attendees are straight and come with gay friends. They want to be a part of their gay friends' lives." Laepaul appreciates that there is virtually no dress code (last year he came in drag and actually won the title "prom queen"), and that he can bring whomever he wants between ages 15 and 22 and still feel safe. "I didn't go to my high school's prom," he says. "I did go to my cousin's prom with her, which I didn't want to do, but I took a date to my first Gayla Prom." This Saturday's event is something of a milestone the 10th anniversary although Baugh says they are "not doing anything special; we're just putting our efforts to making it bigger than last year. We want to make sure it's a good one." Hughes-Trigg Ballroom on the SMU campus. May 5 at 7 p.m. $20. Must show ID. Those wishing to volunteer must attend a mandatory orientation session on Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the venue. Gaylaprom.org. This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition May 4, 2007 © Copyright by DallasVoice.com |
