Celebrated from Oct. 1 to Oct. 31, LGBTQ History Month is a month of community, support and togetherness for students who identify as LGBTQ through campus events and key resources.

In honor of National Coming Out Day, the second campus Pride Walk on Oct. 3 from 3-6 p.m. is the star of the show this month. Pride Walk is an opportunity for students to connect with allies and peers. The event will consist of a 1.4-mile loop around campus, with several stops and a party at Stafford Commons to close out the event. 

“That’s our kickoff to LGBTQ History Month before we turn our history month’s programming over to our student organizations, since we know that a lot of our students engage best directly with other students,” said Rain Garant, assistant director of the GLBT Center.  

According to Mitch Bowersox, the program coordinator for the GLBT Center, the Pride Walk is much bigger than last year due to earlier planning efforts alongside more collaborations with campus departments. 

“We’re having more student attendees, we’re having more volunteers,” Bowersox said. “Last year was just kind of one walk, and then we had small tabling in Wolf Plaza, and now we’re having a huge lawn party at the conclusion of our walk. And that’s just a big opportunity for students to kind of engage that way.”

Students last year were especially appreciative that the GLBT Center and NC State were recognizing the importance of pride for their students, faculty, staff and members of the LGBTQ community through the Pride Walk. 

“Students seem to really enjoy just having that representation on campus,” Bowersox said. “Since it’s never been done before, it was kind of a big deal. People were just joining in as we were walking, students and pedestrians were honking their cars, and I saw some [people] on Hillsborough Street, they were cheering us on. People came out of their buildings just to cheer us on as well.”

The second Our Futures event is Oct. 6 in the GLBT Center lounge, a monthly opportunity for students to engage with LGBTQ community members regarding a range of topics.  

“It’s an ongoing speaker series where we bring adults living, working, thriving in the Triangle area on campus to talk to our students about what it looks like to be a queer adult in a post- college world,” Garant said.

The October Queer Quorum, an ongoing student-led discussion group facilitating conversation, will hold a session later this month on Oct. 18 for LGBTQ students and allies to connect with the community.

GLBT Center director Charla Blumell said she wants folks to feel celebrated and that they belong, and when they walk across campus, no matter where they are, they know that there is a place and space for them. 

“I think things like Pride Walk help amplify that and help encompass, at least for me, why community is so important,” Blumell said. “But I would love for our students, staff and faculty to just feel that they have that kind of community building community care, wherever they are. That’s my hope.”

The GLBT Center is dedicated to helping make and create as much space as possible for LGBTQ students and the surrounding community, centering their well-being and providing support.

Check out the GLBT Center website, events calendar and newsletter to keep up with monthly programming.