The Only Love Project came to Longwood's campus this past weekend. This Project was founded as a response to a “national epidemic of bullying specifically targeted at members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community,” according to their Facebook page.
The Project is simple. According to The Only Love Facebook page, “college campuses holding photo shoots or campaigns that feature students on campus that commit to speaking love for all people.”
Those photos are then displayed on different mediums of social media so that the message is seen. The Longwood Landings Resident Assistant staff decided to bring this Project to Longwood. On Nov. 9, the Lankford Student Union Ballroom hosted anywhere from 150 to 200 people according to Tori Fraser, a Landings RA.
Fraser said, “The Only Love Project came to Longwood because a staff member that is supervising the project is a friend of the original creator. Because of their connection, the Landings RA staff was able to get his permission to put on the event.” She also explained that the “main purpose of the project is to create an environment where there is no judgment, and to portray that within the diversity of Longwood, we speak 'Only Love'.”
Participants wore white shirts and were asked to bring something that represented their personality. The Project at Longwood “mainly focuses on equality regardless of sexual orientation, but we also wanted to show that love is universal between everyone and anyone, regardless of gender, race, religion, etc.”
The Longwood Landings RA staff wanted to put on a campus wide event, the Only Love Project had support and the planning stages began with excitement, according to Fraser.
Fraser said, “If we were able to make a difference for even just one person, then yes, our purpose was met.”
Since 2010, the Only Love Project has been spoken at a number of different universities around the country. Their mission is simple, “To love someone, it is something that seems so easy to do yet there is so much hate spread through bullying, bashing and violence. These photos represent our desire for happiness and love for everyone. We as college students, the future of America, believed that everyone deserves a chance to love and to be loved. We speak only love for all people. These photos are to raise awareness for anyone who is struggling and to show them that people in their communities care.”
Fraser said that the Landings RA staff was very happy with how the event went; their hard work paid off. “If the event was able to have a positive effect on even just one person, then the Only Love Project at Longwood was a great success,” Fraser said after the event.
The Only Love Project at Longwood was a big success. It took the hard work of many people to be able to put on this important event.
