The Office of Student Inclusion and Diversity and the LGBTQIA+ Committee at UNC Pembroke recently announced events for LGBTQIA+ Pride Month to be held April 1-30.

The purpose of LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual or aromantic and others) Pride Month is to recognize the accomplishments and contributions of LGBTQIA+ individuals. Pride Month is celebrated nationally in the United States in June. It traces back to the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan–a tipping point that changed LGBTQIA+ activism and the Gay Rights Liberation Movement in the United States. The first Pride March was held in New York City in 1970 on the Stonewall Uprising's first anniversary. The last Sunday in June was initially celebrated as "Gay Pride Day." The one-day celebration grew into a month-long series of events.

Details for virtual events listed below can be found at uncp.edu/lgbtqiapride, including Webex/Zoom access links and event registration links.

UNCP's events to be held during LGBTQIA+ Pride Month include:

• Pride Month stickers will be provided to participants in the month's activities and can be picked up in the Office of Student Inclusion and Diversity in Old Main, Room 129.
• April 5-30, 2021: View the UNCP Pride exhibit outside and Chavis University Center's west entrance.
• April 12, 2021: Rev. Brian D. Crisp will present how Christianity views the LGBTQIA+ community. Rev. Crisp is an ordained minister with the Alliance of Baptists and currently serves as the Minister of Missions at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh, N.C. Join the event at 7 p.m.
• April 14, 2021: The Office of Student Inclusion and Diversity will facilitate Safe Zone Education at 3 p.m. for participants to learn more about the LGBTQIA+ community, including a functional knowledge of terminology, the gender and sexuality paradigms and ways to support the LGBTQIA+ community as an active ally and advocate. The education lasts two hours. Students can register via BraveConnect. Faculty and staff can register by contacting the Office of Student Inclusion and Diversity at osid@uncp.edu or 910.521.6508.
• April 20, 2021: Experience the Rainbow: Stories of LGBTQIA+ Identity begins at 3:30 p.m. and features a panel of students and community members who will share their experiences as members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
• April 20, 2021: The inclusive sexual education event Ask the Sexperts begins at 6 p.m. The event is sponsored by UNC Pembroke's Student Health Services and the student organization Spectrum.
• April 21, 2021: Join scholars and researchers from various academic disciplines and universities at 3 p.m. as they discuss their research and perspectives on issues that particularly affect LGBTQIA+ individuals and groups. The panelists will discuss their research and contributions to extant knowledge in their areas of expertise and they will take questions from the virtual audience. The panelists are Dr. Charles Beem, professor of history at UNCP; Dr. Melissa Buice, assistant professor of political science at UNCP and Dr. Tyler Flockhart, assistant professor of sociology and criminal and community justice at Viterbo University.
• April 27, 2021: Attend a panel of scholars and staff as they discuss The Social Sciences: Sex, Gender and Sexual Identity. Panelists include Tom Beaman, associate professor of anthropology at Wake Technical Community College, Dr. Melissa Buice, associate professor of political science at UNCP, Ronette Sutton Gerber, director of the Office of Title IX and Clery Compliance at UNCP; Kristin Godwin, lecturer of sociology at UNCP, Gillian Norton, associate professor of psychology at Wake Technical Community College and Dr. Abby Reiter, assistant professor of sociology at UNC Pembroke. The discussion begins at 2 p.m.
• April 28, 2021: Join the Two Spirit Voices: A Historical and Contemporary Perspective panel to learn more about two-spirit peoples in the American Indian community. The discussion begins at 4 p.m.
• May 4, 2021: The Lavender Academic Achievement Ceremony recognizes graduates who self-identify as LGBTQIA+. The ceremony begins at 6:30 p.m. Graduates can register to participate by visiting uncp.edu/lavenderceremony. Non-graduates interested in attending the ceremony should contact the Office of Student Inclusion and Diversity at osid@uncp.edu or 910.521.6508.

Director of Student Inclusion and Diversity Dr. Lawrence Locklear highlighted the importance of LGBTQIA+ Pride Month to BraveNation when he stated, "Pride Month activities at UNC Pembroke raise awareness of the contributions of the LGBTQIA+ community and their fight for equality, social justice and civil rights."

LGBTQIA+ Pride Month is sponsored by the Office of Student Inclusion and Diversity, the LGBTQIA+ Committee, Department of American Indian Studies, Spectrum and Student Health Services.

For more information about LGBTQIA+ Pride Month at UNC Pembroke, please visit uncp.edu/lgbtqiapride or contact the Office of Student Inclusion and Diversity at 910.521.6508 or osid@uncp.edu.