By RORY MOORE
Tiger Media Network
The Fort Hays State University Gender and Sexuality Alliance hosted its annual Rainbow Read-In at the Foundry inside Rarick Hall on Wednesday to spotlight various speakers. Each participant recited writings that shared their experience as LGBTQ+ or allied individuals.
Lua Bennight, treasurer for GSA, was the first speaker and began with a PSA-like speech.
“Freedom and equality are beliefs we agree are good and should be protected,” they said. “How do you ensure freedom for all? Knowledge, organization and planning are the keys to protecting our freedoms and ensuring our community’s safety. Knowing your rights, legislators, local and federal governments is a sure-fire way to protect your and other people’s rights.”
GSA treasurer Lua Bennight began the Rainbow Read-In with two speeches about freedom, equality and safety. 
GSA president Anabeth Ratzlaff’s speeches were dedicated to discovering orientation and ensuring people’s access to validating who they are 
GSA advisor David Macey spoke about coming out when he was younger and how many doors were open to LGTBQ+ members like him. 
The FHSU Gender and Sexuality Alliance hosts the annual Rainbow Read-In that was for all participants to speak. 
Sociology Senior Administrative Assistant Jessica McGuire reads an excerpt from ‘Sister Outsider.’ “I was going to die sooner or later,” she recited. “Whether or not I’ve spoken myself, my silences had not protected me. Your silences will not protect you. What are the words you do not yet have?”
Resistance was a theme Bennight emphasized in their readings.
“Choose how you want to resist and when to be heard,” they said. “When there is dark, there is light. When there are, there is calm. It seems hard to keep high flows when surrounded by wolves, but remember: change does not start because of a single politician. Change starts with the everyday person. We are the change.”
GSA President Anabeth Ratzlaff’s writings focused on discovering orientation during childhood and evolving gender norms.
“When I was born, I was given a teddy bear I called Teddy,” Ratzlaff said. “Teddy was not him or her. I was struggling to find a word that I felt must exist. Gender and Teddy felt like it would have been something tangible that only I could see.”
Ratzlaff called out people who reject the notion of new terms for gender.
“The reason these people constantly belittle words that trans and non-binary individuals describe themselves is not because the words are meaningless,” Ratzlaff said. “It’s because these people find out these words are powerful, and they know their last hope of stalling progress is preventing people from having access to language that vindicates their experience.”
David Macey, dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and GSA advisor, highlighted his coming out in his reading.
“When I first came out about 45 years ago, it was a life-long process,” he said. “For a while, it felt like there weren’t a lot of options. Then, it felt like a lot of doors were opening up, and lately, it feels like people are trying to close some of those doors.”
He concluded his speech by reading the poem ‘A Litany for Survival’ by feminist Audre Lord.
“For all of us, this instance and this triumph, we were never meant to survive,” he recited. “When the sun rises, we are afraid it might not remain. When the sun sets, we are afraid we might not rise in the morning. When we are alone, we are afraid love will never return. When we are silent, we are still afraid. So, it is better to speak.”