Two University of North Carolina schools have removed social media posts about Pride month to comply with system policy.
UNC-Chapel Hill’s Athletics Department posted, “The Tar Heels are for everyone” above a map of the state featuring the LGBTQ+ flag colors. UNC-Greensboro’s Athletics Department shared an image that said “Happy Pride Month” with a rainbow background. Both posts have been deleted.
When asked for comment, university spokespeople pointed to the UNC System’s equality policy. The Board of Governors passed the policy in 2024, repealing its old one, which focused on diversity and inclusion.
In a statement, UNC System director of media relations, Andy Wallace, said the policy commits the university to institutional neutrality. He said, "Campus efforts to ensure compliance will remain a continuous process.”
The equality policy states that no employment position can organize, operate or speak on behalf of the university on social policies or “political controversies of the day.”
Pride month was first formally recognized by the U.S. government in 1999 to commemorate the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement.