If you live near or around Jacksonville State, you may have seen this picture floating around, or you may have even seen it in person:

This beautiful picture was taken by Mark du Pont, and has gotten insane response on Facebook. The library is lit up rainbow, which often a symbol that is associated with pride. (The library is always has the lights on at the top whether it be for pride, or lit up green for Veteran's Day during that time of year.) Most of the feedback on this picture has been positive and other posts have been negative. Nonetheless, the news of JSU lighting up for pride has spread like wildfire across our small town, and I couldn't be more proud of my university.

The library was first lit up rainbow on June 12th, which also happens to be the day that the horrific shooting happened at a gay club in Orlando. Forty-nine people were mercilessly killed that day, and 58 other poor souls were wounded. Whether JSU lit the library for these people or not, I find it so progressive and beautiful that my university would even take the time to do such a thing. It is wonderful to see more and more people become more accepting of all types of love. Love is love no matter what. Some people may not agree with that, and that is okay. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I believe that we are moving towards a society that is more tolerant of people loving who they want to love. My parents raised me to believe that all types of love are okay, and that we should not judge others for loving who they love. I have all types of friends, and not once has their sexuality hindered me from being their friend. I believe it is right to choose to love someone because of who they are, and not who they love. The fact that my university would be amazing enough to light up our library for pride makes me feel that the LGBTQ community at JSU can realize they are safe and wanted in Jacksonville. With the lighting of the library, I feel like JSU has really lived up to their name as the friendliest campus in the South.

If you would like to learn more about the LGBTQ community, you can visit their Facebook page here.