By Mia Lewis ’29
Features Section Writer
To celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility, Queer Action Collective — abbreviated as QAC — hosted a lively trivia event that drew in a crowd of students eager to learn and engage in queer trivia, held in the Cochary Pub and Kitchen on Tuesday, March 31. Transgender Day of Visibility is an annual day of celebration to honor and recognize the trans community. This event combined education with entertainment, and offered participants a fun way to grow their understanding of queer history, culture, and activism.
Andy Webber ’29, a student who attended the event, excitedly shared their surprise at the turnout. “I expected there to be fewer people honestly, so I am glad there were so many,” Webber said. Like many other participants, Webber had some prior knowledge about Transgender Day of Visibility, but they still found the questions challenging and engaging. These topics ranged from pop culture to historical legislation and the questions accounted for students with any level of knowledge.
“Some of the questions were pretty obscure,” Webber said, “but I was pleasantly surprised by how diverse the questions were.” Webber had a specific interest in questions about queer activists, such as bell hooks, along with icons they had not known before.
Naoise Grybko ’26, one of the event organizers and a member of QAC leadership, expressed similar satisfaction with the turnout of the event. “We had been planning it for a while, so I am glad so many people attended,” Grybko said. The QAC, along with the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, had various options for events to celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility. However, they landed on trivia because it struck a balance between educational and enjoyable for all participants.
“At a lot of trans-centered events, there's a lot of important information, and sometimes people just want to have fun,” Grybko said. “Trivia was a great way to do that while still learning about Trans Day of Visibility.”
Events like this show the importance of Transgender Day of Visibility as a moment to recognize and honor transgender experiences. They also demonstrate how creative approaches can make education accessible and enjoyable, encouraging more people to participate in conversations about transgender acceptance.
As the three highest scoring individuals received their prizes, it was clear that the trivia event had succeeded in its mission to celebrate, educate, and bring together Mount Holyoke College students in support of transgender visibility on a gender-diverse campus. The Queer Action Collective and Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will continue to have educational events intending to bring together members of the community and celebrate all identities.
Madeleine Diesl ’28 contributed fact-checking.