Q-Prom provides fun, safe alternative prom

COEUR d'ALENE — Nothing quite says "dance party" like LED sneakers with lights that strobe.

And those party shoes are just what Caleb Weeks rocked Friday night during PFLAG-Coeur d'Alene's inaugural Q-Prom in Lake City Center.

"I’m feeling really happy and really excited to be around people that are my same clique," said Weeks, of Coeur d'Alene. "It feels nice to be open and myself."

Weeks paired the dance-floor-illuminating shoes with rainbow attire that included suspenders and a bowtie.

"I tied it myself," he said with a smile.

Just an hour after it began, Coeur d'Alene's first Q-Prom was entertaining more than 100 guests of all ages. Attendees enjoyed music provided by a live DJ, a photo booth with fun props and a venue colorfully decorated for the "Over the Rainbow" theme.

PFLAG-Coeur d'Alene, formerly Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, hosted Q-Prom as an alternative social dance for people of all genders and sexualities to enjoy a drug-free, alcohol-free and bully-free prom experience. Signs on the restrooms indicated that they were all-gender restrooms that could be used by anyone, "regardless of gender identity or expression."

Shaundra Russell, 15, of Coeur d'Alene, made a special surprise of asking her date to the dance with a poem and glittery poster board that read, "Will you go to Q-Prom with me?"

"Her proposal was so adorable," said her mom, Jessica who served as a chaperone for the event, alongside her husband, who worked security.

Jessica said Q-Prom is awesome because it's an event where people "don't have to be afraid of any discrimination, they don't have to be afraid that they're going to get beat up by somebody else or rumors are going to be spread about them."

"There are certain schools in this district that are really not comfortable with same-sex couples going to prom. They discourage it," she said, adding that at Q-Prom, everyone can be themselves and just have a good time.

"It’s all about love, and that’s really what it should be," she said.

Shaundra said the event is all about acceptance.

"Q-Prom in general has opened up so many people’s minds and especially helped me with coping on how I’m going to come out to my dad and how other people see me in general," she said. "And to have this event to show people that we care is amazing. We’re pretty much telling people, ‘We’re going to accept you no matter what school you go to. Who you are as a person, you can come and we’ll accept you no matter what.’ It’s really cool that they’re having this event because that’s what we’re saying. It doesn’t matter what you are, who you are. You’re going to be accepted."

PFLAG-Coeur d'Alene member Rae Van Meter of Coeur d'Alene attended the prom with a longtime friend. She said Q-Prom is an amazing opportunity for North Idaho.

"Idaho gets a lot of discrimination, so I think it’s really important to be able to have events like these that are normal, everyday events," she said. "It’s important for people to see us in just everyday life, doing normal things, to see that we’re just like everybody else doing something normal. It’s incredible that, here in Idaho, we do that and show people that we’re people, too."

She said a lot of times, people think the local LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community is smaller than it really is.

"It seems small, but then when we get to group together, it doesn’t seem as small or as lonely," she said. "We need more events like this."

Jessica Logan, event director for Lake City Center, said the center's beautiful facility is open to all in the community and a basic rule of the facility is "treating others the same way you would wish to be treated."

"We don’t discriminate against anyone that’s wanting to rent the place as long as they are following along with our direct policies," she said. "As long as everyone is having a good time, we’re happy that this can happen here tonight."