Rice Pride Week, an annual celebration honoring the diversity, contributions and achievements of the LGBTQ+ community, concluded its weeklong festivities with the annual Gayla March 7.
Rice PRIDE and Rice University’s Office of Access and Institutional Excellence organize Pride Week each year because most students are not on campus in June during Pride Month. The weeklong event provides an opportunity to highlight the struggles, triumphs and cultural impact of the LGBTQ+ community while fostering a deeper understanding of the queer experience.
“While this week has been a dream, the positive energy towards the queer community on campus needs to continue past this week,” said Rice PRIDE board member Callum Flemister. “We have absolutely wonderful staff and faculty working to support each other and students on campus, but it is also up to us students to build a safe space at Rice and in Houston.”
The Gayla, held in Duncan Hall’s McMurtry Auditorium, honored students, faculty, staff and organizations that make exceptional contributions to the queer community. Rice PRIDE presented awards as well as announced the organization’s leadership for the upcoming year.
For more information about programs and services offered through the Office of Access and Institutional Excellence, visit aie.rice.edu/rice-pride-week-2026.