Appalachian State University: After "Pride Week" Name Change, LGBTQ+ Staff Firings, Students Fear Suppression

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pride-week-name-change-lgbtq-staff-firings-students-fear-suppression/ar-
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This was supposed to be Appalachian State University’s annual Pride Week. 
The North Carolina public university’s Pride Week — which typically takes 
place in April, hosted by the school’s LGBTQ+ Center — usually consists of 
panels, art galleries and socials that celebrate and affirm queer and 
trans identity.

Instead, students say the program was rebranded, omitting “Pride” from the 
title. Some students on campus say they fear it’s a form of queer 
suppression on campus — and a threat of things to come. The concerns come 
amid a surge of anti-DEI bills targeting universities in red states, as 
well as other issues related to Appalachian State’s LGBTQ+ community, 
including the cancelation of a Drag Trivia event and the firing of four 
LGBTQ+ university employees. School leaders say the events are unrelated, 
but the timing leaves students wary.

“My disgust comes from [school leaders] giving up before they have to,” 
Evan Foster, a gay rising junior studying public health at Appalachian 
State, told Teen Vogue. Foster believes Pride Week’s name change and lack 
of drag inclusion comes from a place of school administration proactively 
responding to anti-DEI legislation in North Carolina.

School leaders say the rebrand, drag trivia event, and employees being 
fired are unrelated, but the timing leaves some students wary.

While new information — following questions from Teen Vogue and other news 
outlets — has brought some clarity to the situation, students say they 
still want transparency directly from school leaders.

A new name sparks concerns among students
This year’s Pride celebration was scheduled for April 1 through 6. But in 
the weeks leading up to the event, the Henderson Springs LGBTQ+ Center 
began promoting this year’s celebration as “Spring Fest.”
“Spring Fest” is described in part as a week of “events designed to 
educate, empower, and unite Mountaineers of all identities, especially our 
LGBTQ+ community of App State.” In interviews with Teen Vogue, school 
leaders maintained that the school’s LGBTQ+ Center presented the name and 
itinerary, but declined to go into specifics. Some students say the new 
name reads like a form of pandering to state pressures.

In a statement responding to the backlash over the new name published on 
social media by the school LGBTQ+ Center, the office stated its 
“commitment” to support the school’s queer community “is strong” and that 
“the center is fully operational.” (In a petition launched March 21, some 
students allege the center isn’t appropriately staffed.) “Spring Fest 2024 
is a celebration of the vibrant uniqueness within the Queer community,” 
the center’s statement said. “Throughout the weeklong programming, we aim 
to create inclusive spaces where every identity is celebrated.” A 
spokesperson for the school’s LGBTQ+ Center did not respond to Teen 
Vogue’s request for comment.

The social media statement from the LGBTQ+ Center did not directly address 
the event’s new name. In the comment section, students criticized the 
Spring Fest name and implored fellow students to keep calling it “Pride 
Fest.”

Student leaders involved with the school’s College Democrats, as well as 
the Student Government and Graduate Student Government Association, claim 
the new name was a direct order from school administrators and happened 
without consulting them.

The school administration says the new name came from “members of the 
university community,” though specifics weren’t mentioned. “We are 
continually seeking ways to develop and foster a campus environment in 
which all members of our campus community feel supported and can thrive,” 
Appalachian State spokesperson Megan Hayes told Teen Vogue. “Language and 
terminology are important, and at App State, we strive to use language 
that is supportive for multiple populations of our campus community we 
serve in order to fulfill our mission and strategic plan.”

Some students also claim a previously scheduled Drag Trivia event was 
canceled by administration, stirring up concerns when coupled with the 
name change and employee terminations. Graduate Student Government 
Association leaders condemned the university’s recent firing of staff 
members who were also members of the university’s Queer & Trans Staff and 
Faculty, a support group for LGBTQ+ staff and faculty members at 
Appalachian State.

Hayes told Teen Vogue the drag trivia event was separate from Spring Fest 
to begin with (initially scheduled for April 18) and wasn’t shut down by 
the administration. “There was no orchestrated effort to remove a drag 
show from Spring Fest,” Hayes said. Regarding the fired employees, Hayes 
denied any efforts to fire employees that identify as LGBTQ+ to Inside 
Higher Ed.

As of publication time, the university has not released a public statement 
about Spring Fest, student pushback about the name, or other concerns 
regarding the LGBTQ+ community. On Tuesday evening, the school’s vice 
chancellor of student affairs said in an email to students that Spring 
Fest was meant to affirm the LGBTQ+ community and school officials would 
take feedback on the name into account for next year.

“They sent this knowing they had over a week between when this news broke 
and this week, pride week, to reverse their decision,” Foster said.

Students begin speaking out
Within days of Spring Fest promotions beginning, Appalachian State’s 
Graduate Student Government Association unanimously passed a resolution 
denouncing the school’s “lack of support” for the LGBTQ+ community, and 
committing to celebrating Pride Week, not “Spring Fest.”

“Pride Week sends a powerful message that the university is committed (not 
just performatively, but in actuality) to diversity, inclusion, and social 
justice,” the resolution said. “It is vital and demonstrates dedication to 
creating a safe and supportive campus environment where every student can 
thrive academically, socially, and personally.” The student leaders added 
that by renaming Pride Week “Spring Fest,” the school was “hiding or even 
denouncing” support for its LGBTQ+ community.

Student leaders with the Appalachian State College Democrats also released 
a statement last week criticizing Spring Fest’s new name, calling it an 
“assault” on freedom of speech and expression.

In a statement from Appalachian State’s Student Government Association, 
student leaders acknowledged that rebranding the event came as a “double-
edged sword.”

“For some students, these events were the first spaces where their 
identities were validated … Renaming them removes some of the 
representation found in these spaces,” the SGA statement said. 
“Simultaneously, the rebranding was done to protect these same students 
from harsh and triggering environments.”

The SGA goes on to say that the burden shouldn’t be on students to 
communicate changes occurring within school clubs and organizations. “The 
Student Government Association believes that recent events on campus 
demonstrate a need for increased transparency on behalf of the University 
regarding policy changes and a need to ensure that individuals have a 
comprehensive understanding of what decisions are being made and why,” the 
statement said.

Now, as the week of events is underway, groups including the Appalachian 
State College Democrats are hosting counter-programming and rallies to 
uplift the school’s queer community. It comes as, across the country, 
anti-DEI bills are surging in states with Republican lawmakers in charge, 
largely targeting public colleges.

On Wednesday April 3, dozens of students gathered on a campus lawn — some 
armed with signs that said things like “PRIDE is not a bad word” — in 
solidarity. Students, including Foster, spoke.

“I feel silenced,” Foster said in his speech. “We feel silenced. This is 
what the university I chose to go to has decided. I came here particularly 
for the queer community. I came here because I believed I belonged.”

Anti-DEI laws surge across the country
According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, at least 82 bills 
threatening to roll back DEI efforts and trainings at colleges have been 
introduced since last year in more than two dozen states. At least 12 have 
become law. In some cases, there are reports of schools issuing changes to 
their respective DEI departments and initiatives in anticipation of new 
laws — before they even take effect. In Florida, state universities 
shuttered their DEI programs and fired the departments’ respective 
employees as a result of anti-DEI laws. Similar laws also took effect in 
North Dakota, Utah, and Tennessee in recent years.

As noted by the National Education Association, the bills are directly 
impacting students of color, LGBTQ+ students and campus LGBTQ+ centers. 
The populations targeted by the anti-DEI bills — students of color and 
LGBTQ+ students — continue to need additional support on campus when it 
comes to feeling prepared and adequately supported, both mentally and 
financially, for a college career.

Still, Hayes, the Appalachian State spokesperson, told Teen Vogue there is 
“no connection” between this year’s “Spring Fest” and North Carolina’s new 
anti-DEI law, which took effect in December. The existing law focuses on 
state agency (including university) employment, but doesn’t censor events 
on campus. But it comes at a time where DEI remains under scrutiny in 
North Carolina and beyond.

Hayes says university officials are listening to student feedback and 
taking it into consideration for next year. “After outside parties 
launched a call on social media asking alumni to register their concerns, 
we began to hear from alumni and students … related to this year’s title 
for the event series,” Hayes said. “We are having ongoing conversations 
with students regarding this week’s programming, the planning process and 
the naming process. We will take the feedback we’ve received so far, as 
well as what comes from these discussions, and incorporate it into our 
planning for next year’s event.”

Experts say the language for most of the anti-DEI bills is “intentionally 
vague,” causing challenges regarding how schools interpret the laws and 
how others perceive them. They also predict that more laws targeting DEI 
could be on the way.

On campus, students say they’re concerned last week’s string of events are 
connected and provide a preview of potential censorship threats amplified 
by state legislation.

“It’s been a rough week,” Foster said. “I feel less welcome on campus. I 
know my other queer friends feel the same.”


-- 
We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that 
stupid people won't be offended.

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