Sexuality and Gender Alliance (1994-Present)

Formation:

The Sexuality and Gender Alliance, originally Bisexuals, Gays, Lesbians, and Allies for Diversity (B-GLAD), was organized in April of 1994 in response to the lack of resources for gay students at ECU. The group was renamed the “Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Student Union” in 2008 and then became the “Sexuality and Gender Alliance” in 2017.  

Significant Events:

B-GLAD frequently organized panels, information tables, off-campus speakers, and social events to promote gay pride on campus. One of the most controversial events was the “Blue Jeans Day,” in which students were encouraged to wear denim clothing to show support against queer discrimination. A number of students on campus responded to B-GLAD by actively wearing khakis on the day of the event. 

B-GLAD organizational meeting flyer

Constitution for B-GLAD at East Carolina University

The East Carolinian, April 22, 1997

Featured above is the two-page “coming out” advertisement that B-GLAD printed in the East Carolinian on April 22, 1997. The spread had been created in response to anti-gay rhetoric that had appeared in the newspaper earlier that same month. Specifically, when the East Carolinian published two testimonial-style advertisements that promoted the conversion of homosexuals. The ads had been produced by “Another Way Out,” an ex-gay ministry group, and placed in the paper by the ECU Campus Crusade for Christ organization. The testimonials played heavily on the use of overt connections between AIDS and homosexual promiscuity, as well as adolescent sexual abuse and lesbianism.