Leah Perri/Winonan

Winona State University’s Full Spectrum club held a fundraiser at Culver’s last Tuesday night in order to raise money for their trip to the Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference (MBLGTACC), or simply “Mumble-tech,” as many students like to call it.

This annual three-day conference is the largest LGBTA conference in the nation, hosting over 1,700 students every year.

This year it is being held at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, Mo. Feb. 7-9.

Students who attended the Culver’s fundraiser on Tuesday night were promised ice cream, good company and plenty of rainbow flags.

Ten percent of all proceeds received between 5 and 8 p.m. were used to help fund the club’s trip.
Full Spectrum’s president, Jax Pugh, was very pleased with the turnout.

“Our goal was to get as many people as possible to ‘come out’ and show their support,” she said. “I am very proud of the work our members did to get the word out there about our event.”

The MBLGTACC conference includes over 90 educational workshops on various LGBTA topics as well as guest speakers and entertainment. The mission of the conference is to educate the LGBTA community in a safe and welcoming environment, uniting people from all different walks of life.

Keynote speakers include Chely Wright, one of the first major country music artists to officially come out as gay; Janet Mock, writer, activist and founder of the #Girlslikeus project; Rob Smith, an openly gay Iraq war veteran, journalist, lecturer and LGBT activist; and Kara Laricks, a former schoolteacher and fashion designer.

There will be further entertainment throughout the conference including a drag show and a performance by the Heartland Men’s Chorus—a 150-voice gay men’s choir.

There will also be an exhibitor and career fair and an adviser’s social during the weekend.
Pugh and other club members are hoping to apply what they learn at the conference here at Winona State.

“The conference is important because the queer community is always expanding and adapting, so there is always more to learn,” Pugh said. “It is also a great way to network and see what other campuses are doing and try to bring new programming ideas to campus.”

According to Pugh, Full Spectrum in itself is an ever-changing community with ever-changing needs.

“The club means something different to each one of its members, and we try to be what everyone is looking for,” Pugh said. “Some people come for support, and to others it is just somewhere fun to go on Wednesday nights.”

According to Pugh, this event is not just limited to Full Spectrum club members. If you are interested in attending the conference, contact Jax Pugh at [email protected].