Tell Colleges: Don't Back Down on Pride Month

Colleges are quietly backing away from Pride Month — and LGBTQ+ students are being told exactly where they stand.

Several universities have deleted Pride Month posts, withdrawn from local Pride events, or stopped flying rainbow flags on campus. 

Lamar University reportedly removed a Pride post just hours after it went live. UNC Chapel Hill and UNC Greensboro also deleted Pride-related athletics posts. The University of North Texas dropped out of a local Pride event. The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools stopped flying the Pride flag.

Some administrators are hiding behind "neutrality" policies or state anti-DEI laws. But silence in the face of political attacks is not neutral. It tells LGBTQ+ students, faculty, staff, alumni, and families that their dignity is optional when right-wing politicians complain.

Tell college and university presidents and boards of trustees: Stand with LGBTQ+ students. Restore Pride Month posts, events, flags, and public support.

Campuses should be places where students can learn, grow, and belong without being treated like a political liability. A Pride post or flag is not a threat. It is a basic sign that LGBTQ+ people are seen, welcome, and safe.

Backing down now does more than erase a rainbow graphic. It invites more censorship, more fear, and more attacks on students who are already facing hostility from lawmakers, extremists, and online hate campaigns.

Add your name now and demand that colleges stop retreating from Pride Month and stand up for LGBTQ+ students before this cowardice spreads even further.

The petition to college and university presidents and boards of trustees reads:

"Do not back down from Pride Month. Restore and protect Pride Month posts, events, flags, and public support for LGBTQ+ students, faculty, staff, alumni, and families. Stop using political pressure, neutrality policies, or anti-DEI laws as excuses to erase LGBTQ+ people from campus life. Every student deserves to know they are welcome, valued, and safe."