Chicago State University hosted its first-ever prom for LGBT youth and their allies May 8 in the rotunda of the university’s student union. Organizers planned the event to provide a safe space and nurturing environment for LGBT youth on the South Side of Chicago. “Too often,” said Ebony King, president of the school’s gay-straight alliance, “members of our community have to travel north for events like this. Why can’t we have them on the South Side?” Although organizers struggled with low turnout, King called the gathering “groundbreaking.” Text and photos courtesy of Mason Harrison