At “Collaging your Queer Agenda.”

Celebrating MacEwan Pride Through Collage

As one of the free events for MacEwan’s 2025 Pride Week celebrations, the Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity organized a crafts event titled “Collaging your Queer Agenda” held on Friday, March 14th in the SAMU students’ lounge. After a couple of tables were pushed together, the students’ lounge came alive at 11 am as amultitude of coloured craft equipment crowded the space. Accompanied by music, snacks and popcorn, attendees trickled into the lounge and began working on their collages. The theme for this year’s Pride Week is “The queer agenda.” We are used to hearing this phrase used negatively about queer individuals – shallowly accusing them of some “covert plan to turn everyone queer.” According to the CSGD website, this theme aims to “flip the script” by celebrating the history and future of the queer community on campus.

“…the collages aim to help all participants interpret the theme however they like and visualize their queer goals.”

Kaz Haskins, Lead Volunteer

Lead volunteer for the event, Kaz Haskins, spoke to me about how the collages aim to help all participants interpret the theme and visualize their goals in their own way. I was so impressed by the collage materials on the table. The tables were covered in everything from large encyclopedias to several copies of the National Geographic, along with transparent and coloured paper strips (which work great for making flags!). There were plenty of supplies for participants to get their hands on and experiment with, so energies were high. Before long, masterpieces were being crafted, and nobody even noticed as I crept around with my big camera. It was so heartwarming to see and capture the smiles bouncing around the table as people made breakthroughs with their collages. Some participants even came with their own supplies and were met with excited chants from around the table. Everyone was itching to get their hands on ‘gay tape’ or a pair of fancy craft scissors. The event lasted until 2 pm, and although I missed a large part of it (classes, ugh), I was back at the end to see the finished collages – each one bold and beautiful. It was a resounding success by all standards.