Editor’s Note: This article contains reference to suicide.

In 2004, Technician published a series of profiles that captured student perspectives on various election topics, including LGBTQ+ rights. Two decades later, the evolution of LGBTQ+ coverage and visibility on campus reflects broader societal changes and ongoing challenges.

One of the profiles spotlighted Elena Everett, a student who identified as queer, discussing the impact of the election on LGBTQ+ rights. The article emphasized that the upcoming election was the first to prominently address LGBTQ+ rights after Massachusetts and San Francisco became the first locations in the country to legalize same-sex marriage.

“Because these issues have come out, it’s allowed us to come out and talk about these issues,” Everett said in the article.

In the article, Everett touched on the issue of visibility, saying that the lack of visibility and understanding of her cousin’s sexuality from his family members caused her cousin to take his own life.

“His family wanted to pretend that it was a disease,” Everett said in the article. “It’s unfortunate that we live in a society where you can’t discuss something as fundamental as who you are and who you share your relationships with.”

Paige Averett, a professor in the School of Social Work and LGBTQ+ researcher, said visibility is as important for the LGBTQ+ community as much as any other community. 

“Visibility is crucial,” Averett said. “The human experience is that we want to be known and seen and understood for who we are and accepted.”

Thushan Amarasiriwardena, Technician’s editor-in-chief of Vol. 84 and the author of the profile on Everett, said the article came at a time of heightened political tension. 

“It was Bush versus Kerry, and we had come through in the past three years quite a [lot], 9/11 happened and we were now at war in Iraq and the death count was pretty shocking at that point,” Amarasiriwardena said.

Although these issues were reaching the national stage for the first time, Amarasiriwardena said covering LGBTQ+ issues wasn’t an issue for Technician.

“I didn’t feel like it was taboo by any means,” Amarasiriwardena said. “And we devoted two pages [to Everett’s profile], that’s why.”

Justine Hollingshead, the first director of NC State’s GLBT Center, now the LGBTQ Pride Center, said even though other students were more welcoming of LGBTQ+-identifying people, they were still facing unwelcoming attitudes and a lack of resources at the University at the time.

“Students felt unwelcome,” Hollingshead said. “There was a lack of resources. There were derogatory and harmful rhetoric that would occur. You’d certainly see things in the free expression tunnel that were painted, and again, while within the bounds of free expression and free speech, but that still doesn’t mean that there are harmful things that impact an individual.”

The establishment of the GLBT Center in 2008 marked a significant milestone in NC State’s commitment to its LGBTQ+ community. Hollingshead, who was instrumental in its creation, said there was debate and an assessment around whether the University simply needed programming or a standalone center for the LGBTQ+ community on campus.

“We went through a pretty arduous process of talking about what that would look like and creating a proposal,” Hollingshead said. “That came with a lot of challenge because people felt like that was not an appropriate use of how you would spend University money. Students, by and large, were very supportive because they knew that there was a need.”

Technician published an editorial in August 2007 titled “Plan needed for LGBT Center.” The article called for more conversations between the University and stakeholders.

“This is a serious topic, and the University should treat it like one,” the Vol. 88 Editorial Board wrote in the article. “By addressing the LGBT center in a plan the community will treat it in a respectful manner.”

The center’s establishment provided a physical space for resources, programming and community building. However, it also faced challenges, being placed in one of the most heavily traversed areas of campus, Talley Student Union. 

“There was pushback from people who felt like, ‘Gosh, we shouldn’t have the gays here,’” Hollingshead said.

Hollingshead said Technician has improved in accurately reporting on the LGBTQ+ community in her nearly 30 years at NC State.

“I think it’s been very important to tell the story and get that out there, and you all have done that well, historically,” Hollingshead said.

However, she cautioned about the potential harm of negative or stereotypical portrayals. Hollingshead said thoughtful, accurate reporting is essential to avoid perpetuating harmful narratives.

“[Journalists] don’t always think about, ‘What could be the worst possible outcome or case scenario if I publish this story or this opinion piece or this cartoon,’” Hollingshead said. “There were times, and I think part of it was people being uneducated … as time went on, young people are more and more educated and aware about why it’s important to be supportive and make sure that the story or the information you’re trying to present is fair and unbiased and that you’re also sharing resources with the readers and I think you all, by and large, have done a good job with that.”

One instance where Technician published harmful rhetoric toward the LGBTQ+ community was in March 1979 when the paper ran a cartoon likening members of the LGBTQ+ community to people who practice bestiality and incest.

In a guest column, Rev. Willie White, who was the advisor to the Gay and Lesbian Christian Alliance at NC State at the time, condemned Technician for publishing the cartoon.

“It was maliciously designed to discredit and attack a group of people who want nothing more than to live their lives and exercise their faith free from misrepresentation and absurd insinuation about who they are or what effect they might have on the formation of other organizations,” White wrote in the column. 

The Vol. 59 Editorial Board responded to White’s comments in an editor’s note.

“The Technician acknowledges that the cartoon in question might be judged as in poor taste,” the editorial board wrote in the note. “We apologize to any readers it offended.”

The evolution of language used to describe the LGBTQ+ community is evident in Technician’s archives. From GLB to LGBTQ+ and beyond, the terminology has expanded to be more inclusive and representative of diverse identities.

Averett noted the importance of this linguistic progression.

“Language is huge,” Averett said. “We know on a basic level that words matter and language that we use matters.”

As NC State continues to evolve, so too will its approach to LGBTQ+ issues. The LGBTQ Pride Center now addresses a wider range of issues, including the specific needs of transgender students and emerging gender identities.

Hollingshead said she recognizes the complexity of this work. 

“It’s never-ending work, and it has expanded as our community has grown,” Hollingshead said. 

For current and future student journalists covering LGBTQ+ issues, Averett said she emphasizes the importance of listening to the community, being willing to learn and correct mistakes and understanding the power and responsibility that comes with media coverage.

Amarasiriwardena said although most journalism is meant to be unbiased, simply accurately reporting on marginalized communities can act as a form of activism.

“I think journalism is a bit of activism in the sense of you’re actively trying to tell the community what other community members, their hopes and dreams and needs [are], and that mission never goes away,” Amarasiriwardena said. “And so just a push to Technician is, what are those stories that continue need to be told? You have print space, you have unlimited digital space but ultimately, you have limited attention for your readers. So, choose wisely.”