Campus organizations provide resources for LGBTQ+ students

There are a variety of programs and organizations present on UNC’s campus that aim to uplift, support and care for LGBTQ+ community members.

According to some individuals involved in the University’s LGBTQ+ organizations and programs, while some resources are heavily utilized and well known, other valuable opportunities for LGBTQ+ students and staff are often overlooked.

LGBTQ Center and LGBTQ Center Library

The LGBTQ Center works to create a welcoming and safe environment for queer community members. According to the center’s website, the organization aims to meet this goal through social activities, educational programs and materials, as well as support and advocacy services. 

The center is located in the Student Academic Services Building South and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The LGBTQ Center Library, which is run by the center, has a collection of books and videos that are available to students, staff and faculty for a two-week check-out period. This collection is made up of over 1,000 titles of primarily books including queer-focused research, novels, poetry, history and more.

A compilation of local and national resources is also available on the LGBTQ Center website. 

Undergraduate organizations

UNC has a variety of undergraduate campus organizations dedicated to supporting the queer community on campus.

Sexuality and Gender Alliance, known as SAGA, is a group that works to build a LGBTQ+ community on campus and connect queer people and allies. The organization hosts programs and activities such as monthly movie nights and a queer prom.

Queer People of Faith is an interfaith LGBTQ+ organization that explores the intersections of faith, gender identity and sexual orientation.

Out in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, known as oSTEM, is a group that aims to empower queer people in STEM.

Pride @Kenan-Flagler Business School is an organization that seeks to increase queer visibility at Kenan-Flagler and foster a sense of community among LGBTQ+ students.

Other undergraduate LGBTQ+ organizations include queer_hack, Q-connect & OUTreach, Queer and Transgender People of Color and Carolina Advocating for Gender Equity.

Graduate and professional organizations 

The University also hosts a number of organizations specifically to aid LGBTQ+ members of UNC’s graduate and professional community.

OutLaw, formerly known as Lambda Law Students Association, is an organization that aims to educate the UNC law community about the social, legal and political issues faced by members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Medical Student Pride Alliance is a group that aims to support the success of LGBTQ+ medical students.

LGBdenTQIA+ is a community for queer students and allies within the Adams School of Dentistry.

Other graduate and professional organizations include Checked OUT, the LGBT Caucus, Health Sciences LGBTQ Alliance, Kenan-Flagler Business School Pride Club, LGBTQ Health Disparities Research Collaborative and Queer Graduate and Professional Students.

Gender violence service coordinators 

Coordinators who work as part of UNC’s Violence Prevention and Advocacy Services provide year-round confidential support to members of the campus community. This can include anyone looking to share their experiences, seek further support or ask questions. 

Holly Lovern and Connor McCaffrey, gender violence services coordinators within the University Office of Student Affairs, said that they wish more students knew about different kinds of services coordinators provide.

“Sometimes folks just have a couple of questions for us and we have a 15-20 minute meeting and then that's it,” Lovern said. “Sometimes we’re providing ongoing support for folks just depending on what they’re looking for.”

Lovern said that gender violence services coordinators receive training on how to handle the intersection of gender violence and LGBTQ+ identities, saying that people who choose to speak with coordinators are not required to share anything about their identities.

The gender violence services coordinators are available to meet via appointment and also hold drop-in hours in the LGBTQ Center during the academic year. 

Safe Zone Program

The Safe Zone Program aims to create a network of visible allies to members of the LGBTQ+ campus community. Safe Zone training sessions inform participants about concepts, terminology and resources pertaining to sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. 

Carolina Pride Alum Network

The Carolina Pride Alum Network is a group of alumni, faculty and staff that seeks to engage LGBTQ+ alumni and foster community at UNC. With about 1,500 members and chapters in several major cities, the network supports service and advocacy events, as well as sponsoring social and networking opportunities.

Shawne Grabs, a senior regional development officer for the University Development office, oversees the alumni network. Grabs said that the network hopes to provide a culture of support and community that may not have been present when alumni attended UNC.

“We're trying to really grow our group. We know there are more than 1,500 queer alumni out there, and so our goal is to try to let people know and market ourselves,” Grabs said.

LGBTQ+ scholarships, fellowships and grants

LGBTQ+ students and allies may be eligible to apply for specific scholarships such as Point Foundation Scholarships and the Pine Tree Scholarship. Queer-focused internships, fellowships and research grants are also available. 

Sexuality studies program

Programs in sexuality studies are a part of the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies and contain a wide variety of courses, an undergraduate interdisciplinary minor and a graduate studies group.  

The minor in sexuality studies consists of five courses from at least three different departments, with approved classes ranging from those in the Religious Studies to English departments.

Campus Health services

Providers within Campus Health receive training and continued medical education to ensure they provide high-quality care to students of all gender identities and sexual orientations. 

Nurse practitioner Stephanie Edwards-Latchu is one of the Campus Health providers who helps offer gender affirming care. She said Campus Health offers sexual health services, hormone therapy and transition-related care. All students and postdoctoral fellows who pay the Campus Health fee, which is listed as a mandatory charge on degree-seeking students' University account, are eligible to use Campus Health services. 

“We don't want patients to feel like they can't come see us because of who they are or who they love,” Edwards-Latchu said.

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