About Oxford Pride

In 2016, Matt Kessler, a graduate student, came to the Sarah Isom Center with a dream of a Pride parade and a permit from the city.  Six weeks later, the Sarah Isom Center launched Oxford’s first Pride Parade. Allies rushed forward to march in the parade, and many LGBTQ students were overwhelmed with the love and acceptance they felt on that day.  The second year, our Pride Weekend expanded its partnerships and brought Big Freedia and drag performers from Pulse Nightclub in Orlando to Oxford.

Oxford Pride was created to give LGBTQIA+ students, faculty, staff, and their allies a highly visible and inclusive community event during the academic school year to make them feel welcome and a part of the larger LOU community. The goals and objectives of Oxford Pride are to continue to provide a space for inclusion for and learning about the University’s and Oxford’s queer community through a combination of social and academic programming. Because of the success of last year’s festival, we are adding a festival on Union Plaza between the parade and the drag show later in the evening.