Join us on Sunday, October 26th, 2025 from 1pm-4pm in the Student Union Central Ballroom for an exciting Queertober event! The Rainbow Joy Celebration (co-sponsored by Gender and Sexuality Student Services, Halberd Books, and the CIAC) is a natural extension of The Book of Rainbow Joy, an anthology of art and poetry organized by Halberd Books for the express purpose of shining a light on the many ways the LGBTQIA+ community finds love, happiness, catharsis, and, yes, joy in the midst of turbulent times.
Featuring the authors and artists included in the book, we will have a full reading of the anthology followed by an open mic for artists at UIS and the Central Illinois community to showcase poetry, stories, art, and testimonies to the ways the LGBTQIA+ community have found, fostered, and finagled a good life lived in authentic ways. As part of the event, the CIAC will hold an item donation drive for banned or challenged books, school supplies, and sanitary products for distribution to local schools. Meet the artists, share your art, and celebrate the whole spectrum of the joy we can make together.
This event is open to the entire UIS campus and Springfield Area community.
For questions or accommodations, please contact gss@uis.edu or 217-206-8316.