About Us

Our History...

UNCG PRIDE! was established as the Gay Student Union in 1974. In the mid-eighties, after we received official affiliation with the University in 1979, we changed our name to the Gay and Lesbian Student Association. In September 1993, our name was again changed, this time to the Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Student Association. In 1997, in a final attempt to be inclusive of all within the GLBTQA (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning and allied) community, our name was changed to PRIDE!.

(Picture at right: UNCG PRIDE! at NC Pride Festival, 1999... notice the old GLBSA banner!)

Our Mission and Purpose...

PRIDE! stands for "Proudly Representing Individuality, Diversity and Equality!" PRIDE! strives to be a resourceful organization, to promote awareness of GLBTQA issues and to establish an open social network for our members. We also strive to educate the UNCG community on issues faced by GLBTQA persons and to help create a more safe and welcoming campus for all.

Our intent to strive toward these goals are manifested through weekly meetings, social functions, awareness and education activities, and events that include community outreach efforts.

Our Programs...

There are many ways in which PRIDE! works toward our mission and purpose. Weekly meetings help to bring people together in a safe and comfortable place in order to socialize, learn, and grow. At our special events, such as National Coming Out Day, the Day of Silence, and other public awareness events, get our message of acceptance, diversity, and equality to the general UNCG community.

Every year, we hold our annual PRIDE! Week, which is a week-long event full of programs and activities. PRIDE! Week usually features a GLBTQA speaker or musician, panel discussions, a fun social/game night, and many other various events or activities. Our famous PRIDE! Prom wraps up the week with fun, food, drink, and dance.

PRIDE! also participates in the yearly NC Pride Festival, usually held in September.

The PRIDE! Resource Library, which is located in the PRIDE! Office (225-V EUC), is comprised of more than 140 books, writings, publications, magazines, and videos. The PRIDE! Resource Library acts as a resource for those wishing to learn more about the GLBTQA community or for those who are just wanting to entertain themselves with a good book. Materials are available for checkout; please see a member of the Executive Board during their office hours each week.

UNCG PRIDE! is an affiliated student organization with the UNCG Office of Student Life and the Student Government Association.

The History of PRIDE!...in depth!

PRIDE!, formerly known as the Gay Student Union, the Gay and Lesbian Student Association and the Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Student Association, is among the nation's oldest gay student groups. Established in 1974, PRIDE! is, to knowledege, the oldest, most continuously active gay student organization in North Carolina and has had a varied and interesting history as the GLBTQA student organization on the campus of UNCG.

The earliest records of any existence of a gay* student group on the campus of UNCG dates from November 1974 through January 1975 in the form of historical documents including a flier, an interdepartmental memo, and a correspondence between the UNCG Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and the Office of the President of The University of North Carolina. One document within the historical archives of PRIDE! does date back to 1973; it is, however, unrelated to the original gay student group, but relates to the formation and recognition of “Gay Liberation on state-supported campuses.” The name under which PRIDE! operated during this time period is unknown but the letter written by the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs refers to the group as being a part of the “Gay Liberation Movement.”

In the 1979-1980 academic year the Gay Student Union was given official University affiliation. According to an October 30, 1979 article in the Carolinian, the first meeting of the newly affiliated Gay Student Union (called the “Gay Academic Union” in the article) was held on October 25, 1979. Many correspondences between members of the alumni, the Greensboro community and University administration detail the overwhelming anti-gay attitudes of the time period. The correspondences also reveal the vehement opposition from alumni to the affiliation of a gay student group to the University. Many letters to the editor within the Greensboro Daily News echo the same attitudes from Greensboro citizens. These letters are not only valuable to the history of PRIDE!, but also to the history of the entire LGBT Rights Movement. These letters are evidence of the intense anti-gay attitudes held by the vast majority of Americans during the 1970s and 1980s, a time in which the Movement had finally formed a somewhat unified and solidified effort. During this time, gay rights also began to become a more accepted topic within the debates of mainstream American politics. Although our group did not receive official affiliation until 1979 and although no mention of a group name appears before 1979 in the historical archives of our organization, outside evidence points to the fact that only one, continuous gay student group has existed on the UNCG campus since 1974.

Most likely in an attempt to be more inclusive of the LGBT community, the name of the Gay Student Union was changed to the Gay and Lesbian Student Association sometime in the mid-80s. In September 1993 our name was changed to the Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Student Association and in a final push to be more inclusive, our name changed to PRIDE!, Proudly Representing Individuality, Diversity and Equality, in 1997.

As with any organization as old as PRIDE!, the organization had its share of troubles and problems. During the 2003-2004 academic year, controversy abounded from both within and without the organization. This controversy quickly spread throughout the General Body membership and Executive Board. After losing many members and the great majority of the Executive Board, the remaining members were able to pull PRIDE! back together, form another Executive Board and create a new Constitution, thereby saving the organization from dissolving and from losing affiliation with the University. Since 2003-2004, PRIDE! has bounded back with strength and resilience, a testament to the strength and commitment that students have to the organization.

PRIDE! continues to uphold its more than 30-year service to the UNCG community through weekly meetings, social events, educational and awareness programming and activities, and through the annual PRIDE! Week, usually held every April. PRIDE! also shows a commitment to healthy living by holding athletic and sports-based activities at our weekly meetings throughout the academic year, as well as offering information on safe sex, abstinence and other healthy living topics and issues.

You may view some PRIDE! historical documents in the PRIDE! Office or you can visit University Archives located on the Second Floor Main of the Jackson Library at UNCG. PRIDE! historical documents are given to University Archives as they are found and new documents, such as project and activity reports, are added to the Archives on a regular basis.

* - The word “gay” is used within this text to refer, as a whole, to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning and straight allied individuals.

Written by Richard Gilley & Matt Hill Comer. Historical documentation, research and archives compiled by Richard Gilley, Matt Hill Comer & Nick Melton. 2005-2006.