Pride & Progress: LGBTQ+ Inclusion at HBCUs 

Pride Month is more than just rainbows, parades, and flamboyant gestures. It’s about inclusivity and feeling acknowledged in a world that still struggles to accept people for their preferences. A community that’s proud of who they are and treats everyone with the same love and respect that they desire. LGBTQ+ awareness and activism has been a topic of conversation and action for years. With the new generation being more woke and outspoken, we are now starting to see it trickle down to our school systems, even in our HBCU communities. 

HBCUs are creating more spaces for their students to feel seen, heard, and accepted – not just in June, but all year long. From student-chartered organizations to student government leaders breaking the mold, it’s clear that advocating for full inclusion is being progressed by the students themselves. 

Many organizations on our campuses have already hit the ground running when it comes to fostering inclusivity and is seeing great success. At Howard University, CASCADE (the Coalition of Activist Students Celebrating the Acceptance of Diversity and Equality)  is the oldest and longest standing LBBTQ+ org at any HBCU. It was initially co-founded by Chi Huhes in 1979 and was known as the Lamda Student Alliance (LSA).  They are responsible for ensuring that HU acknowledges Pride Month and even oversaw the adoption of queer studies courses that were implemented in 2019. BLAQ at Clark Atlanta University celebrates and empowers the queer students on campus by hosting educational roundtables and social events to bridge the gap between communities at the school. For the first time this past school year, they even had their own royal court and were able to participate in CAU’s Coronation Ceremony during Homecoming! 

Not only are we seeing action from the organizations, but there are also students becoming leaders at their schools to help break the status quo. Last year, Jay Jones became Howard University’s first transgender Student Association president. Coming from a conservative Christian household with strong beliefs about the LGBTQ+ community did not stop her from being who she really was and what she wanted to do. She detailed her experience by saying, “During the midst of that campaign season, I was in an internal kind of battle with members of my family not accepting me, not embracing me, calling me things like ‘embarrassment’ and not understanding the full height of what I was trying to do and who I was becoming.” With aspirations of working in politics, Jones hopes to find new ways to get young voters to the polls. Not only is she an inspiration, but she is proof that despite preferences and religious ideologies, queer people are just as qualified, educated, and passionate like everyone else.

All in all, one thing is certain: LGBTQ+ students at our institutions are done asking to be accepted and acknowledged. They are choosing to take up space and are demanding to be seen and heard. Creating safe spaces for Black people shouldn’t come with restrictions. So whether you’re an ally, out and proud, or still figuring it out, remember: It’s already tough being a minority due to skin color. Don’t make other people feel like they have to “pick a struggle.” Learn to accept people for who they are, and educate those who may not understand. Love is love!