Full Moon on the Quad is quite possibly my most favorite Stanford tradition out there. And it's not because I get to prey on young undergrads as a third-year Master's (ahem, I'm technically still a co-term). Nay, FMotQ holds a different meaning for me as a member of the LGBT community. Also, as someone how loves to dance.
The latter is easier to explain. I love dancing on elevated surfaces and, depending on the crowd, shirtless or not. Usually shirtless. And I love huge crowds but I HATE crowded spaces, which makes FMotQ the ideal place for me to get my groove on. Also, I'm always complimented on my Latino hip-moving skills by women, so that's always a plus. Makes me feel warm inside.
But apart from that, I think FMotQ is the single most important event especially for repressed LGBT youth that come from conservative backgrounds (I won't speak of the straight section of people at this thing, that's just plain ol' bacchanalian debauchery. We're much classier). The gay guy or the lesbian who comes to our small corner on the Quad and wonders about the mound of similarly awkward gay guys and lesbians looking each other and giving a shy smile to indicate "oh my goodness I really want to kiss this cute boy but what do I do!? i'm too shy..."
Step in ME. Now, I don't consider myself ridiculously hot by any means (5'5'' guys don't exactly make the best models), but the amount of compliments I've gotten from guys about my smile and pecs has made me feel pretty comfortable with the way I look. So I don't mind dancing on elevated surfaces shirtless for the world to see. In my imagination, I rally people by arousing them and hopefully making them aroused enough to make out with each other. But another role I play is that of the "it's ok to be gay! also, to kiss me, no matter who you are!" Because in addition to x factors of background, I know, because this was/probably still is the case with me, that a lot of people in the LGBT suffer from low self-esteem issues that are exacerbated by the "hot guys" in our community.
I will tell you one thing about being gay. Not good for our body image. Given our same-sex nature, we basically are always competing against each other to be hotter, smarter, funnier, better. Mainly hotter. And comparing apples to apples to see which makes the best match is much more demoralizing than when the straights compare their apples and oranges.
Anyways, I love FMotQ because it provides a safe space for gay people to openly express our sexuality (and man, saying that just baffles me. Even in the 80's Stanford didn't have our little queer sections, as far as I know). Moreover, a safe space for people to come out, explore sexualities, and have fun while doing it. And even though watching white people (a vast majority are whites at this section of gays) kissing is like watching two great white sharks with giraffe's tongues eat each other's faces off, it still warms my heart to know that they are at least able to do that without any judgment from their peers.
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