By Kyle Jackson
On February 11, 2026, Stand Out, the LGBTQ+ student organization at Grand Rapids Community College, held a “Valentines Gay” event centered around building bonds within the queer community in a fun and interactive way.
The free event encouraged students to play some games and just enjoy themselves in a safe environment.
The event included Scrabble, Uno, and One Night Alien games, free drinks, and craft materials that visitors could utilize.
Unfortunately, the request for catering sent to Student Life was not processed in time for food to be available during the event.
Link/Leia Donahue, a student at GRCC, is the president of the Stand Out, on campus. Donahue is currently at GRCC for their associate’s of art, with an interest in filmmaking.
“What we try to do,” said Donahue, “is create a safe space for our queer students to come and hang out and have opportunities to build community and to see and experience events and activities that are meant to uplift them and give them that vital community that is very important to queer people, especially today.”
In the past, Stand Out has conducted events designed for students to have an opportunity to communicate with LGBTQ+ resources and queer peers.
Due to its small size, only a few students attended the event.
At the start of the event, multiple students played a few rounds of Uno. As more students arrived, the number of players also increased. Other students put the craft resources to good use, creating Valentine’s Day cards and other handmade gifts.
“…We should do a Valentine’s Day event because love is an important part of the queer community,” said Donahue. “You could say that love is the cornerstone of the queer community. It’s our love for ourselves and each other that gives us the power to change things for the better and to live our lives as ourselves and to be as authentic as we can be.”
For more information on Stand Out, visit the club’s page on RaiderConnect.
