By The UNLV Grad Pride Alliance

Forty-three years ago, the Gay Academic Union (GAU) was recognized as an official student organization at UNLV. The GAU-UNLV were trailblazers, who not only created space for queer recognition and community on campus, but also shaped the identity of queer Nevada. Notably, the Gay Academic Union at UNLV was a sponsor of the first-ever Las Vegas PRIDE celebration in 1983 [1,2], and in 1985, as the LGAU (Lesbian and Gay Academic Union), they helped shape the Desert & Mountain States Lesbian & Gay Conference, which centered on promoting LGBTQ+ activism and leadership in the Southwest[2].

UNLV Lavender Graduation 2025 hosted at The Center

Forty-three years later, while many things have changed on campus, students and staff are still continuing the legacy of the GAU/LGAU. The university itself has made strides towards greater queer inclusion, such as the 2017 establishment of the Stonewall Suites (an all LGBTQ+ floor in the residence halls)[7,9], the formation of Q:UNLV (a queer faculty and staff affinity group)[8,9], and the facilitation of queer programming throughout the year by Student Leadership and Learning (SLL), as well as, Student Connections and Engagement (SCE), including Queer Mini Con (a queer mini convention on campus), service-learning immersions and field trips, gender affirming closet events, and the annual Lavender Graduation (an event celebrating LGBTQ+ students who are graduating). Today, UNLV students have a diverse array of organizations they can join that embrace queer culture and community, including: Spectrum, the Graduate Pride Alliance, Qlub Med, Cinefemmes, Queer Film Club, and UNLV OUTLaws. We hope that through this article, we can provide a brief introduction to these wonderful organizations that are bringing the community together and shaping queer experiences on campus!

Spectrum

Spectrum is an undergraduate student organization that traces its roots back to the original GAU organization at UNLV! This group is committed to creating a safe space for LGBTQ+ students on campus, in addition to fostering community education and outreach through their organization[3]. They host a variety of events, including game nights, trivia, and presentation nights.

Graduate Pride Alliance

The UNLV Grad Pride Alliance (GPA) is dedicated to serving the queer community both on campus and throughout Nevada. They seek to empower queer academics at UNLV and utilize their privilege as academics to serve queer Nevadans through meaningful work within the community. GPA also seeks to foster a space where queer graduate students can build friendships with one another, amplify their voices in the community, and be active members in the local queer community. The Grad Pride Alliance hosts and participates in a wide range of events throughout the year, a majority of which are open to the public! This includes educational events (like panels, workshops, and seminars) as well as service events (such as volunteering, tabling, resource distribution, and public educational content creation events).

Qlub Med

Qlub Med is an organization dedicated to fostering queer inclusivity and support within the School of Medicine at UNLV, and promoting queer responsivity in healthcare[9]. They engage in a variety of service-based and educational activities, such as panels, symposiums, community volunteering, fundraisers, resource drives, and resource distribution events[9].

Cinefemmes

Cinefemmes is a film department-registered student organization that focuses on uplifting. underrepresented groups of filmmakers in the entertainment industry[5]. They watch movies, craft, workshop, host guest speaker events, and engage in various collaborative events. Cinefemmes also participates in and volunteers at several local film events throughout the year. Overall, Cinefemmes seeks to help people in their filmmaking careers, or at least be a catalyst in their networking, and often tries to create events where people can meet more people or find other outlets that can help their craft.

Queer Film Club

Queer Film Club (QFC) is guided by the core values of inclusivity, safety and respect, community, creative expression and exploration, and education through film[4, 10]. QFC fosters conversations, builds community, and creates a safe place for people to explore queer identities and history through film. They host a variety of film screenings and discussions throughout the year.

UNLV OUTLaws

UNLV OUTLaws is a group that supports LGBTQIA+ students in the William S. Boyd School of Law and serves the community in matters related to queerness and law[6]. Typical events that UNLV OUTLaws hosts include panels, professional talks/Q&As, and bar reviews.

Final Thoughts

As we have briefly discussed, student organizations at UNLV have had an important role in building the queer identity of Nevada. What students do in these spaces matters! These groups could be life-changing for people who participate in them, and they have the potential to impact the community at large.

Our intention with this piece was to provide a brief spotlight on current organizations that are working to create space for the queer community at UNLV, as they deserve to be seen, recognized, and uplifted! There is an incredible variety of interests and activities happening in each of these groups at UNLV. They are testaments to the diversity of our community and the ways in which queer experience can connect to all aspects of the world around us. And each of these groups, in their own fashion, are contributing to the queer history of UNLV, Las Vegas, and Nevada!

References

1. McBride, Dennis. (2009). Gay Academic Union. https://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/las-vegas/articles/gau
2. Las Vegas PRIDE. (2025). About Us. https://lasvegaspride.org/about/
3. Spectrum. (2025). Involvement Center: Spectrum. UNLV Involvement Center. https://involvementcenter.unlv.edu/organization/spectrum
4. Queer Film Club . (2025). Constitution/Bylaws. UNLV Involvement Center. https://involvementcenter.unlv.edu/organization/unlvqueerfilmclub
5. Cinefemmes. (2025). Involvement Center: Cinefemmes UNLV Involvement Center. https://involvementcenter.unlv.edu/organization/cinefemmes
6. UNLV OUTLaws. (2025). Involvement Center: UNLV OUTLaws. UNLV Involvement Center. https://involvementcenter.unlv.edu/organization/outlaws
7. Scavone, Jason. (2017). Residence Halls Dedicate Floor to LGBTQ Students. University of Nevada, Las Vegas. https://www.unlv.edu/news/article/residence-halls-dedicate-floor-lgbtq-students
8. UNLV Office of the President. (2026). Faculty and Staff Affinity Groups. UNLV. https://www.unlv.edu/president/initiatives/engagement/affinity-groups
9. University of Nevada, Las Vegas. (2026). Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual [Resources]. University of Nevada, Las Vegas. https://www.unlv.edu/diversity/lgbtqia
10. Queer Film Club . (2025). Constitution/Bylaws. UNLV Involvement Center. https://involvementcenter.unlv.edu/organization/unlvqueerfilmclub

This article was originally published in the 2026 PRIDE Month & Community Issue of Las Vegas PRIDE Magazine, and can be read in its original format here.