The annual dance put on by the Queer Union will take place on Friday, Oct. 17. “Homocoming,” as it has been renamed, will cap the Queer Union’s Coming Out Week, which runs from Oct. 12-17.

Formerly known simply as “QU”, the dance’s name change is part of a broader Queer Union effort to reinvent both the student organization and the dance. “This organization is not just the dance,” a QU chair, who wishes to remain anonymous, said. “This organization has been rebuilding itself through political, social and policy action.”

Queer Union, however, will also be taking a more active role than it did for last year’s dance, which was put on by the Program Board because Queer Union lacked financial resources. Unlike past years, the dance will not occur during Parents’ Weekend and will not be held in the Fieldhouse. The Alexander J. Hill Ballroom in Kagin Commons will be this year’s location because the surrounding area is better lit and it is near the residential halls.

The Queer Union hopes that this year’s dance will bring the whole campus together and provide a safe, fun environment. In the past the dance has been associated with sexual assaults and other harmful incidents, including gay-bashing. According to Tasha Jelatis-Hoke ’06, a member of the Homocoming committee, “Something that started as a safe place for queer people turned into a drunken fest for those who wanted to bash queer people.”

The Queer Union hopes that this year’s dance will succeed in creating a safe environment for queers and their allies while managing to preserve an anything-goes attitude. “It’s a night to be crazy,” Jelatis-Hoke said.

Pre-Homocoming events will include a kickball game and a fashion show from 10 - 11 p.m. The dance will run from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. and attendees will be able to have their pictures taken. STARSA and Winton Health Services will also co-sponsor a Safe Sex table.

Homocoming will be preceded by a week of Queer Union-sponsored events for Coming Out Week.

Coming Out Week events such as faculty panels, speakers, information set-ups in the Campus Center and a Queer Cookie Night in the Veggie Co-op will precede Homocoming.