Welcome!
That’s a wrap for the 2025–2026 school year, y’all!
We rolled into Spring 2026 with a strong team of staff and students, ready to build on the momentum of an incredible year. With a refreshed LGBTQ Center space, our home became an even stronger hub of community connection: a place to study, laugh, recharge, organize, celebrate, and simply be together. Check out our new digs below!
Then….
….and now. Notice anything different?
Spring 2026 was a season of connection, reflection, and celebration at the LGBTQ Center. Throughout the semester, students built community across generations, explored identity through creativity and movement, and found opportunities to connect with both the natural world and one another. From bird walks and intergenerational conversations to Pride Week festivities and Lavender Graduation, the Center continued to create spaces where all students could learn, grow, and thrive.
As always, the LGBTQ Center remained committed to fostering belonging, supporting student wellbeing, and celebrating the many experiences that make up our community. Whether students joined us for a single event or made the Center a regular part of their week, we are grateful for everyone who helped make this semester one filled with joy, connection, and pride.
Event Highlights
This spring, we took our community outdoors for Let’s Go Birding Together, a beginner-friendly bird walk in partnership with The Avian Society. Starting at the Edible Campus Garden and winding our way to Coker Arboretum, students learned the basics of birding while exploring some of the fascinating ways queerness appears in the natural world. Binoculars in hand, participants spotted local birds, shared observations, and discovered new perspectives on the diversity all around us. Whether attendees arrived as experienced birders or complete beginners, the afternoon offered a chance to slow down, connect with nature, and enjoy community in the Carolina spring sunshine!
One of the most meaningful traditions of the academic year, the Intergenerational Dinner once again brought together LGBTQ+ graduate students and LGBTQ+ older adults from our wider community for an evening of connection and conversation. Across generations, participants shared stories of joy, resilience, loss, and growth while reflecting on what it means to navigate the world as LGBTQ+ people. Through heartfelt discussions over dinner, attendees built relationships that bridged differences in age and experience while highlighting the common threads that connect our community. The annual Intergenerational Dinner continues to remind us that our histories, struggles, and celebrations are strongest when shared together.
Pride Week 2026 was a joyful celebration of community, history, and the generations of LGBTQ+ people who have made our present possible. This year’s theme, “Generations,” invited students to reflect on those who paved the way while imagining the future they hope to create. We kicked off the week with a photobook-making event in partnership with the Sloane Art Library, where students explored archival materials and contributed their own stories through creative self-reflection alongside a week-long art exhibit. The week continued with opportunities to move, play, and connect, from learning ballroom and outdoor yoga to our annual Pride in the Pit celebration and an evening of climbing at Rams Head. We closed out the festivities with an intergenerational Mario Kart tournament spanning four generations of consoles, proving that Pride can honor the past while embracing a little friendly competition. Through every event, Pride Week highlighted the many ways LGBTQ+ community is built, sustained, and passed forward.
The LGBTQ Center was proud to celebrate the achievements of the Class of 2026 at this year’s Lavender Graduation. Surrounded by family, friends, mentors, and community members, graduates gathered to recognize both their academic accomplishments and the unique journeys that brought them to this milestone. Keynote speaker, and founder of Durham community space Arcana, Erin Karcher grounded the ceremony in the importance of community, reminding graduates that the connections they have built at Carolina will continue to support them far beyond campus. We were also grateful to partner with oSTEM and the Carolina Pride Alumni Network, whose contributions highlighted the networks of support awaiting graduates in their next chapters. As our Lavender Graduates crossed the stage, we celebrated not only what they have achieved, but the impact they will continue to make in the communities they call home.
‘Member This?
We want to hear from YOU! What memories do you carry from your time at Carolina and how the LGBTQ Center impacted you? Share your thoughts in the form below!
Impact & Engagement
This semester, the Center continued to be a place where students, faculty, and staff could connect, learn, and find community. Through more than 90 hours of programs, trainings, and campus partnerships, we reached more than 600 contact hours and created meaningful opportunities for engagement throughout the semester. We’re also thrilled that Safe Zone participants gave the curriculum a 100% satisfaction rating; this is exactly the energy we want to foster as we grow our refreshed program.
I find the work of the LGBTQ Center to be vital. As a staff member that manages and supervises student staff, I am frequently reminded of the importance of the work this Center does. Being able to connect with caring and knowledgeable experts allows me to be the most effective, understanding, and helpful mentor and leader I can be.
– Faculty Member
Thank you for everything y’all do for the community!
– Undergraduate Student
We are so grateful for each and every face who interacts with the Center, whether that’s through our programming, community support, or services. Every conversation, event, and shared experience helps strengthen a community where LGBTQ students, faculty, staff, and allies can connect and thrive. Your engagement reminds us that the Center’s impact is made possible by the people who choose to show up, support one another, and help build a more welcoming campus together.
Looking Ahead
This semester has been a testament to the power of community, collaboration, and care. As we move into the next semester, we are excited to continue growing alongside our campus partners, create new opportunities for connection, and support LGBTQIA+ students, staff, and faculty through meaningful programs and resources. Thank you for being part of a community that makes UNC more welcoming and resilient for all.
Resource submission
Do you know about a resource that students, faculty, or staff could benefit from? Submit it at the form below! It could be a support group, scholarship, informational website, book – anything at all!
Stay Connected
As another semester comes to a close, we invite you to stay connected with the LGBTQ Center by following us on social media, reading our newsletters, and stopping by when you’re on campus. Your continued engagement and support help strengthen our community and affirm our commitment to creating a welcoming environment for all students at UNC. Thank you for remaining an important part of the LGBTQ Center community!
SUPPORT THE Center
Lastly, we want to extend our gratitude to each and every one of you. The Center is supported in part by donor contributions; if you have found our work meaningful, impactful, or inspiring, that is facilitated by people like you. Consider making a gift at the link below.