Find Community & Get Involved with Signature Programs
Signature Programs are events and opportunities that you can get excited about year after year with our office, as these events are held regularly (generally annually) and provide high-impact opportunities to get involved, connected with other Roos, learn about shared history and experiences, and advocate for yourself and others! Take a look below to see a peek at our Signature Programs and get excited for the year ahead! Wanting to get started with other programs and events? Check out our Roo Groups page to get registered for all sorts of exciting events, programs, and opportunities!
All programs below are listed in order of their usual scheduling throughout the academic year (August-July).
LGBTQIA Programs & Services is dedicated to serving all Roos and continually works towards improved access for all of our programming. If you have a question or concern about access at a program, or need to connect with our staff about an event accommodation, please contact us using any of the methods at the bottom of this page.
Rainbow Roo Welcome
Start off your first semester at 91ºÚÁÏÍø in community! Join us for our annual Rainbow Roo Welcome the morning of Convocation for breakfast items, to get connected, and to start your first year off right. All 91ºÚÁÏÍø students are welcome.
Saturday, August 22, 2026
9am-10:30
Student Union 302
Roo Welcome Ice Cream Social
The Roo Welcome Ice Cream Social takes place during the first week of the Fall Semester. In collaboration with the LGBTQIA+ student organizations, community organizations, and campus partners, LGBTQIA Programs and Services hosts an information fair with free ice cream and other giveaways. Join us on the University Walkway to make new friends, reunite with old ones and start your semester off right.
Thursday, August 27, 2026
11 am–1 pm
Roo Plaza
LGBTQIA History Month
October is celebrated at LGBTQIA History Month across the world, separate from June's Pride Month (which commemorates the Stonewall Riots), this month gives our community a chance to learn more about our shared histories and culture. Throughout the month, our office offers additional educational programs and events to help our community make better sense of the long history of LGBTQIA folks, in Kansas City and beyond.
History Month begins on October 1 and we celebrate throughout the month.
Pride Community Event
For many years, community members and the campus have come together for an annual or biennial fundraiser and celebration of our community on campus and the ways that it takes so many individuals and groups across the KC Metro to support our students. This event has taken many forms – a breakfast, a luncheon, a special guest speaker or performer. These events are open to all students.
National Coming Out Day Celebration
National Coming Out Day is a chance for all of us to reflect on the process of coming out and what it means both to LGBTQIA people broadly and to each of us individually. Our celebration might change every year, but our support of our community, both those able to be out and those unable to be, does not change.
Monday, October 12, 2026
11 am-1 pm
Miller Nichols Library
Transgender Week of Celebration
Transgender Week of Celebration provides an opportunity for our community to celebrate and cherish our transgender, nonbinary, genderqueer, and gender diverse siblings through centering joy and community throughout the week. Stay tuned to Roo Groups to see what events and programs will take place this year.
For 2026, Transgender Week of Celebration starts on November 16.
Transgender Day of Remembrance
Transgender Day of Remembrance is observed internationally on November 20 each year. At 91ºÚÁÏÍø, we host a vigil, accompanied by a reading of the names of those lost in the past year due to anti-transgender violence. Participants are also invited to speak about what this day means to them and how transphobia affects our communities.
Support resources are provided at the end of the event.
Thursday, November 19, 2026
5 pm-7 pm
Ally Photo
The LGBTQIA+ Ally Photo is an annual event where students, faculty and staff are invited to participate in a photo to show visible allyship to the community. The photo is hung in the Rainbow Lounge and posted on the website and on social media.
April 14, 2027 12pm
Student Union Steps
Lavender Banquet
At the end of April, we join colleges and universities across the country in celebrating the successes and achievements of our LGBTQIA+ community. Lavender Banquet was created to honor these students’ successes, and we hope all Roos can look forward to joining us for our annual Lavender Grad Reception including Pride Awards. We invite all students, faculty and staff to join us for this evening of celebration!
April 29, 2027
6pm-8pm
Miller Nichols Library 325