Old Main to bear pride flag in honor of LGBTQ+ history month

In addition to Zeta Tau Alpha sorority’s infamous ‘Think Pink’ campaign, Wofford students will enjoy a second display of color on campus in the month of October. Old Main will be the backdrop for the notorious rainbow pride flag- with a special addition—in honor of LGBTQ+ history month. 

While this is the first year for this new tradition, LGBTQ+ history month has been around for over a quarter century. In 1994 a Missouri high school teacher by the name of Rodney Wilson originated the month-long celebration, choosing October in conjunction with national coming out day on Oct. 11.  

The initiative to shine the pride flag over Old Main was a result of student activism and the Office of Diversity & Inclusion as part of ODI’s ongoing mission to make all students at Wofford feel seen and supported. 

Sophomore Isaiah Franco ‘23 utilized his position as a student delegate to propose this idea before Campus Union as a resolution. Co-sponsored by Woods Wooten ‘23 and Taylor Lawson ‘21, the “Resolution to Shine Lights on Old Main for LGBT History Month” emphasized the need for allyship and awareness on Wofford’s campus for the LGBTQ+ community at Wofford and the greater Upstate area. 

The resolution also asserted that “A black and brown stripe must be included to acknowledge the intersectionality of race and sexuality in issues facing our society”. 

The inclusion of the black and brown stripes are both a recognition of the “disparities between treatment of white members of the LGBTQIA+ community and BIPOC members of the LGBTQIA+ community” and an acknowledgment that modern Pride would not exist without the efforts of BIPOC. 

The resolution passed through Campus Union, with members unanimously approving the plan to shine the black/brown inclusive pride flag “seven days a week between October first and October thirty-first”. 

Unfortunately, once the resolution reached Wofford’s Cabinet the time period that the pride flag will be displayed was decreased from one month to one week. 

Dean Bigger justified limiting the lights display, explaining “The president’s cabinet only approves gels on the spotlights for a week to best accommodate multiple requests. If we had a specific color on the spotlights for an entire month, we could only recognize 12 causes a year. This way we can recognize more than 12.”

Thus, the pride flag will shine proudly upon Old Main for one week in celebration of national coming out day and LGBTQ+ history month. 

With this new time frame in mind, senior Noah Loquist ’21 created a second resolution concerning the lights on Old Main. Loquist cites the LGBTQ+ history month resolution as “one of the inspirations behind writing a similar resolution for breast cancer awareness” in addition to his family history with breast cancer. Now, Old Main will also shine pink for one week in honor of breast cancer awareness month. 

As Brandon Molina ’22, president of LGBTerriers, explains, “there is a lot of interest on campus from a lot of students, faculty and staff to push Wofford in a direction that’s more inclusive of LGBT+ and other social identities… [this] allows all students on campus to visualize all the work that’s being done”.