Although our University enjoys the benefits of a culture promoting
equality and inclusivity, UNCG’s reputation for embracing diversity as an
educational foundation was constructed over decades by student and staff advocacy.
Among the more hidden stories of Civil Rights struggles at UNCG is that of the
formation of a university-acknowledged student organization for LGBTQ students.
There are few records on the lives and activities of the
University’s LGBTQ students, but the first evidence for the need of such an
organization on campus can be found as early as 1971. By this time, the
university had been reorganized as a co-educational institution, and although
there is some evidence of a lesbian student population on campus for several
decades (1), discrimination against gay male students provoked the first plea for tolerance in the student newspaper:
Last year it was decided by some members of the fraternity
and a few other males that their image was being threatened by the gay men on
campus. It was felt that those gay men were becoming too blatant to be
tolerated. They had the audacity to be themselves occasionally...
There was some talk among the homosexuals of starting a gay
liberation movement here at school. When this “uppity” talk reached the ears of
the other men they decided to act. They all got drunk and set about threatening
people with violence. (2)
It would be unlikely that the victims of such bullying would
be willing to report threats, as homosexuality was not (and still is not) a
protected class of minority by state law. Additionally, as homosexuality was officially
classified as a mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association during
this time, there was no pressure for University officials to investigate such
situations. However, the landscape for gay rights shifted in 1973, when the APA removed homosexuality from the list of
diagnosable mental illnesses. It did not take long for LGBTQ students to
organize, and by 1974, a “gay political social group” was forming on campus.
In November of 1974, a flier promoting the first meeting of
a gay student organization was attached to a bulletin board in the School of
Music. This flier was brought to the attention of Jim H. Allen, Vice Chancellor
for Student Affairs and Chancellor James S. Ferguson. In a letter to the Office of the UNC System President, Bill Friday, Allen requested for legal advice, asking:
- What are the state statues for dealing with homosexuality?
- What statutory prohibitions, if any, are there regarding the
funding of a homosexual organization out of student activity fees?
- May it be argued that to provide meeting space on the campus
for a homosexual organization is to provide a form of support through the
public revenues…?
In response, David N. Edwards, Jr., Special Assistant to the
Office of the President, advised Allen that withholding institutional support
from a student organization meeting the necessary requirements would be legally
precarious, providing citations from three federal cases in which the court
overruled university prohibitions against gay student organizations.
Essentially, a gay student organization, with a mission to support its members
and to educate the public, does not pose a danger to the campus or inherently violate
university regulations. Also, the cases of the federal court overturning the
prohibitions of other universities provided the administration of UNCG with
legal support in permitting a gay student organization, should dissension arise from formal recognition.
The documentation formally requesting the recognition of the
Gay Student Union of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro was submitted and approved
in 1979, with Rev. Joe Flora, Presbyterian Pastor for Campus Ministries, as the
faculty adviser. The stated mission of the organization was:
- To educate the public about legal, social and personal
aspects of homosexuality
- To provide a support system for those in the organization
- To represent the homosexual portion of the student body in
matters relevant to homosexual students
The initial meeting of the Gay Student Union occurred in
September 25, 1979, but the first meeting as a university-recognized
organization occurred one month later, on October 25
th. (3-4) Unfortunately,
there is not a record of the founding members of the organization, but the initiative
of these students established a network of support for LGBTQ students that has
lasted over 30 years.
The Gay Student Union underwent many changes and overcame
many obstacles over its history. The organization encountered many challenges
through the 1980s well into the 1990s, but the struggles have led to the
cultivation of a campus culture of support and advocacy. In fact, the 2012
Homecoming included the first homecoming for UNCG’s LGBTQA Alumni. As stated by
attending Alumni, it was their first “homecoming-out.”
For those interested in researching the history of our LGBTQ
students please contact the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives at scua[at]uncg.edu.
(2) "The Last Liberation," The Carolinian, October 4, 1971 [UA42.4.01]. Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC, USA.
(3) "Gay Academic Union Formed," The Carolinian, October 30, 1979 [UA42.4.01]. Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC, USA.
(4) "Corrections," The Carolinian, November 6, 1979 [UA42.4.01]. Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections and University Archives, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC, USA.
