Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.

On Saturday, lights flashed and speakers blasted Lady Gaga songs. Students mingled and danced in niche costumes — a “biblically accurate angel,” Lois from “Family Guy” and even the “gay little monkey” at the Apple store meme.

“It serves as a fun, safe space for anybody, regardless of who they are or how they identify to be themselves,” said Ainsley Puc, event organizer and president of Syracuse University Pride Union. “I think sometimes there’s not always space for people to feel like they can be really comfortable in their skin. Our goal is to build that space.”

SU’s Pride Union hosted this year’s annual Halloqueen Monster Mash on in the Schine Student Center as part of its LGBTQ+ History Month celebrations. The Monster Mash event is a dance for attendees to dress up and enjoy a setting celebrating LGBTQ+ joy, Puc said.

Formerly known as the HalloQueen Ball, this year Pride Union split Halloqueen and the ball into separate events, Puc said. This year’s ball will take place in the spring semester.

Senior Kai Blunt called Halloqueen “the ultimate queer event,” solely for the celebration and LGBTQ+ perspective on the holiday of Halloween. Halloween is a time for people to dress up and be celebrated while trying on another identity, Blunt said.

“Halloween is a special place in the queer community,” Blunt said. “People get to blur the lines between gender and identity, and have fun playing with it, being the most themselves while showing out.”

Most of the costumes and decorations were handmade, crocheted or hot glued in preparation for Halloqueen. The grand prize of the evening was being crowned the costume contest winner, and attendees lined up to flaunt their DIYed ensembles.

Freshman Lily Greenbaum, a resident in the LGBTQ Living Learning Community, wore a crocheted mushroom hat that she made and decorated herself. Others chatted and danced while dressed as fishnet-clad Patrick Star or the Emcee from the musical “Cabaret.”

Blunt has attended every Halloqueen event since freshman year, and he’s also been to multiple of Pride Union’s voguing and ballroom LGBTQ+ dance workshops. He said he’s excited to learn more through Pride Union and attend their future events.

“It’s really fun to be a part of this group and to really get engrossed in the queer culture of central New York,” Blunt said. “I loved learning the history of voguing and balls in the culture, and spreading it to a lot of people who haven’t been able to see that before.”

Attendees wore elaborate, handcrafted costumes at Saturday’s Halloqueen Monster Mash in hopes of winning the costume contest. Avery Magee | Asst. Photo Editor

Greenbaum said Pride Union events are important to her and her friends, especially in America’s current political climate, and the potential Davis v. Ermold Supreme Court case, which could overturn a landmark marriage equality case.

“It’s really important that we celebrate in this way,” Greenbaum said. “The resource center and Pride Union being on campus helps people who might not feel comfortable in their skin, especially now.”

As a sophomore, this is Kelsey McMillin’s first Halloqueen, but not her first Pride Union event. McMillin attended their annual drag show last spring, which she said inspired her to get more involved in the next semester. McMillin said the inclusivity of the events span different topics and genres and creates a space for people to try new things.

Junior Soup Russell said Halloqueen, and subsequent Pride Union events, has made them and others feel more welcome in the broader campus community. Attending a primarily white institution is a very different experience from their hometown of Houston, they said, and it can be difficult to find others with similar identities and values. Russell said being part of Pride Union was especially helpful in their transition to campus.

“I was surrounded by people like myself. I knew it was going to be okay, and there’d always be a space where I could return to where I knew I was accepted,” Russell said.

Puc said she aims to expand Pride Union’s membership body and grow the organization to reach more students on campus. Currently, Pride Union is an event-based group, with an executive board responsible for budgeting and planning events like Halloqueen and their spring drag show. Puc said she sees the future of Pride Union as a body that meets more often and gets more involved in the central New York LGBTQ+ community.

Sophomore Isabel Panisse described Halloqueen as a “judgment-free zone.” Dressed up as a “clicker” from the video game-turned-TV adaptation “The Last of Us,” Panisse said she received many compliments from fellow attendees on her VFX makeup. With this being her first Halloqueen experience, she said she’s eager to return next year.

“It’s just very fun. There’s no judgment. Everybody is supportive – if you’re dressed up or not. Everybody says, ‘Yes, you ate that.’ And I love it,” Panisse said.

Blunt agreed and said for all students, whether they’re out or not, Pride Union understands and is a community for all LGBTQ+ students on campus to find a group of supportive, like-minded individuals.

“You can bring a friend – you can bring an ally,” Blunt said. “We understand you, we’re gonna keep you safe no matter what. We’re your LGBT family, and we’re here for you.”

Published on October 26, 2025 at 9:35 pm