“Do I hear 19? I hear 19, do I hear 20? Twenty, going once. Going twice — sold!”
Amid the yelling and applause, freshman Nikolas Ross got down from the table on which he was standing, after being bought for $20 by sophomore Samantha Smith at GLOW’s second annual Safety Dance. Fifteen students were auctioned off as dates Friday, May 2 to benefit the Wisconsin AIDS Research Fund.
Lucinda’s, where the dance was held, was completely transformed that night, with decorations covering the walls and free condoms replacing Lucy’s soft cookies. In addition to the date auction, the dance featured several Lawrence music groups, including Sambistas, The Beggars, DJ Taeya Abdul-Majeed and The Honey Bee Farmers.
“I think it was a good idea to help promote safe sex,” Ross said. “I think one of the big problems is that [students] forget that birth control doesn’t protect against STDs and stuff, so it was a good reminder to ‘watch out, you don’t want gonorrhea’!”
GLOW President Mike Korcek said the dance and drag show the following day raised over $600 for the cause.
“The dance was a success — GLOW is thrilled to be able to donate so much to an important cause,” Korcek said. “We hoped that everyone would come donate, get a hot date, hear some great music and get some free condoms for future use.
GLOW hosts annual Safety Dance
