At Shepherd University, Pride Buttons Make LGBTQ Identity More Visible

Around noon, the Ram’s Den at Shepherd University can get crowded. As the main dining hall on campus, it is a place where students often grab a quick meal or hang out with friends.

But last Friday, some students gathered for a different reason. The university’s Program Board — an organization that plans student activities — held an event to commemorate National Coming Out Day.

Each year, Oct. 11 celebrates people who make the decision to self-identify as part of the LGBTQ community. At Shepherd, the day is marked by an annual Pride button-making event, where students can walk away with small symbols of their identity or allyship with the LGBTQ community.

Senior Jackson Heath ran the table this year for Shepherd’s Program Board. But four years ago, he was a freshman stopping by the table after his first couple of months on campus.

“It was just like, a really nice thing where I was like, ‘Wow, I finally like, feel seen. I feel comfortable,’” he said. “This is something that’s happening on campus where I can actually go somewhere and not be scared of who I actually am.”

Some students say identifying as LGBTQ in West Virginia can be tough, because not everyone is welcoming of their identity. But Heath said seeing Pride buttons on backpacks around campus can remind LGBTQ students they’re not alone, especially when they arrive at college.

Students at Shepherd are not the only ones who display buttons with rainbow patterns on their backpacks. Around their country, many college students make and display similar pins. Some feature a flag for their specific identity under the LGBTQ umbrella, and others state the pronouns a student uses.

LGBTQ identity is not always visually identifiable. But junior Anika Wirt, who helped run the booth, said these pins can signal that someone is an ally without requiring a formal conversation.

“Sometimes it can be awkward to be like, ‘Oh, I am this thing,’”she said. “But, in a way, it kind of broadcasts your identity and says, ‘This is who I am,’ and can help other people see that recognition in the people around them.”

To make the buttons, students cut out a circular piece of paper with a design on it, then place it into a button press between a plastic cover and metal backing. When they apply pressure, the plastic seals over their design, forming a button.

The annual activity brings together students with similar experiences, according to Joanna Schoonover, a sophomore with Shepherd’s Program Board. But walking away with a free Pride button also helps students carry that sense of community beyond any single event.

“I’ve seen students have buttons on their bags with them all year round,” she said.

Buttons at Shepherd often come with an Appalachian flair. Some show the outline of West Virginia and slogans like “Y’all means all,” “All are welcome here,” or “No hate in my holler.”

Others feature woodland creatures in front of Pride flags, like a possum in a pink cowboy hat or a deer with the text, “Oh deer, I’m queer.”

Senior Ruby Anderson said it is partly just fun. But it also shows that people can be both West Virginian and members of the LGBTQ community, or that they welcome people with these experiences on campus.

“It’s really nice to walk around and see that other people have queer identities,” she said. “If someone has a pin that’s a rainbow … you know they’re going to be more open to that kind of identity. They’re not going to be outwardly homophobic.”

Plus, Anderson also says it’s simply a way to show she is proud of her identity and her community.

“I just love gay people, and I love being bi and out on campus,” she said.