Pride parade highlight of program

I had never witnessed such a happy, supportive group of people celebrating together.

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Published: Tuesday, 29 Nov 2022 Author: Alex Shemke

Alex sitting in a boat on a canal in AmsterdamOn August 6, I went to Amsterdam Canal Pride. Dressed in rainbow socks, glitter, and rainbow makeup, my new friends and I walked from our dorms to the main canal in Amsterdam, chanting the MSU fight song along the way. I could tell we were getting close when I heard people chattering and music blaring. When we turned the corner, the I saw one of the largest crowds I had ever seen before. The streets were flooded with people dancing, singing, and cheering! People were dressed in rainbow cowboy hats, waving rainbow flags and balloons were everywhere. We strolled onto the bridge across the canal, which was packed with celebrators. In the canal, several boats were floating down full of people dancing to the music. Later, someone offered to let us on one of the boats on the canal to watch the parade. The woman gave us all wristbands, and one by one, we all climbed over the bridge’s railing and down a ladder onto the boat. We danced to the music and cheered for the people floating down the canal.

This experience at the pride parade was the best time of my life! I had never witnessed such a happy, supportive group of people celebrating together. In my experiences abroad, I have had the most amazing time learning, meeting new people, and experiencing new cultures. My canal pride experience involved all these things.

Alex with other MSU students in boat during Canal Pride ParadeThis program taught me so much I did not know about minority groups. I learned about the struggles LGBTQ people face in countries other than the U.S. and the intersectionality between queer and other minority communities. All this knowledge will help me in my future career as a psychiatrist. Since learning about some of the many deficits in healthcare when it comes to minority groups and hearing their experiences firsthand, I hope I can offer more of an understanding to these individuals as a doctor. As a member of the LGBTQ community, I want to help those getting help for mental illness in the healthcare system which has failed many minorities like me.

This abroad experience has opened my eyes to the many hardships the queer community faces, as well as showing me the importance of sexuality education and how it relates to the health and wellness of so many individuals. The experience of being abroad has caused me to grow as a person and become more confident in myself and my ability to meet people and share experiences. I could not recommend it enough to other students who want to grow.

Name: Alex Shemke
Status: Senior
Major: Psychology
Hometown: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Program: Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Sexual Politics in Amsterdam