SPECTRUM Club provides safe, inclusive space for LGBTQ+ community at Durham Tech

Sexuality Pride Educate Connect Trust Respect Unity Multiplicity (SPECTRUM) is a student club at Durham Tech whose mission is to advocate for and support the needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community.

It was established in 1994 as the Gay and Lesbian Society, and later changed the name to SPECTRUM in 2010.

The club provides a safe and inclusive space for students and raises awareness of LGBTQ+ issues through educational advocacy and community engagement activities while working to dismantle oppression based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and relational style of all forms.

Former club senator, Cooper Pollock, said SPECTRUM provided him a sense of belonging.

“It is important to foster queer community wherever you are, especially on a college campus, and SPECTRUM allowed us to do just that,” he said. “In a place that may feel daunting to a LGBT+ student, the club provides a safe welcoming place. I came to Durham Tech in 2020 in the height of the pandemic and felt quite alone on campus. I was looking for a place where I belonged and SPECTRUM gave that to me.”

Faculty advisor, Bridget Bell, said students can expect monthly meetings with the goal of  creating a safe community for the LGBTQ+ students, staff, and faculty at Durham Tech.

“This past semester, we had a booth at Fall Fest to promote the club and also spearheaded a toiletry/hygiene drive for the Durham Tech Food Pantry.,” said Bell.

SPECTRUM is intended to provide those students who identify with the LGBTQIA+ community a safe and inclusive space that allows for their voices and identities to shine.