Very few things are worth an eight hour drive in a crowded coach bus, but the Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference is one of them. An annual event, MBLGTACC has been held at various colleges throughout the Midwestern United States for 26 years. On the weekend of Feb. 16 seven members of Spectrum, Hamline’s LGBT+ student org, made a pilgrimage to the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) for this conference.

The energy at the opening ceremony was thick with excitement as we walked in. Over 1,000 college students cheered as various conference officials took the stage for announcements and speeches. The final speaker of the opening ceremony was Dr. W. Meredith Bacon, the first out trans professor at UNO.

“Be outstanding students, and be known as who you are, and you will have done a wonderful thing,” Bacon said at the end of her speech.

After the opening ceremony, activists CeCe McDonald and Joshua Allen gave a keynote speech. From Minneapolis, McDonald rose to national attention when she was sentenced to prison for manslaughter after defending herself from transphobic, racially-motivated attack. McDonald was sent to a men’s prison, sparking outrage from the trans community. Allen is a non-binary artist and community organizer, committed to creating spaces and change for black queer and trans people. During the keynote, each shared their story and discussed the importance of taking action. ,

“We do not need to be reformists, we need to be abolitionists,” McDonald said.

The second day of the conference began at 8 a.m. the following morning. Most of the day was split off into various workshops and presentations. A highlight of the day was a keynote from writer, performer, and video creator, Dylan Marron. Best known for his role as Carlos on the popular podcast Welcome to Nightvale, Marron has also made his name in activism through digital media. He continued to talk about the role of digital media in creating change with his most recent podcast, Conversations with People Who Hate Me, where he talks to those that have left hateful messages about him online. Although he stated, “I think common ground is a fantasy,” Marron hopes that by having these conversations we can all recognize the humanity in each other.

Another highlight was the talk given by Airline Inthyrath, more commonly known as Jujubee, a contestant from season two of RuPaul’s Drag Race. During the talk, Inthyrath talked about his struggles with alcoholism, his relationship with his late father, and the state of the LGBT+ community in general. A warm and kind presence, he assured those in the audience that “we all belong and we’re all here for a reason.” That night, Jujubee hosted a drag show, which was followed by a dance. Everyone was joyous and loud, no doubt a wonderful night for those who never got a high school dance of their own. The next day we boarded a bus home, carrying many wonderful memories back with us.  Hamline junior and member of the Spectrum executive board, Christopher Holmes said, “This is a gay mecca and I couldn’t be happier.”