PRIDE!Kent will celebrate “40 years fabulous,” with speakers, refreshments and dancing Saturday for their reunion ball.

The organization, formerly known as the Kent Gay Liberation Front, will host the KGLF reunion from 8-10 p.m. Saturday in the student center ballroom, with doors opening at 7:30. The event will include keynote speaker and music from each decade that the organization has been in existence.

Amanda Fincham, PRIDE! president and senior English major, said she hopes guests will come and honor the efforts of past and present LGBT rights groups.

“Its an opportunity for past and present PRIDE! supporters to come and celebrate these accomplishments,” Fincham said. “Forty years is a big accomplishment for any organization, and PRIDE! is the oldest running LGBT student organization in the nation.”

Fincham said she hopes students and alumni will use the opportunity to connect with other members of the community.

“I hope everyone meets someone there to have a connection with, I want everyone to appreciate what PRIDE! has done and meet someone they did not know before.

Greg Porter, senior Visual Communication Design major and Pride! Vice President said it is important to celebrate advances LGBTQ rights.

“The biggest accomplishment is existing,” Porter said. “The natural progression of time has made us into a more social group rather than an activism based group, but it’s important that we celebrate these accomplishments, both past and present.”

Justin Lagore, junior public relations major and Pride! treasurer said the point of the event is to celebrate social reform at Kent State.

“We want to commemorate not only the hard work of our members, but the work of all those who came before us for the past 40 years,” Lagore said. My hope is that people will gain a greater appreciation of our history and take away some of the older core values that today’s generation may have lost sight of.”

Contact Drew Parker at [email protected].