State Historical Marker to Be Dedicated for VCU’s Gay Alliance of Students
Virginia Department of Historic Resources
(dhr.virginia.gov)
For Immediate Release
October 2026
Contact:
Ivy Tan Ager
Department of Historic Resources
Marketing & Communications Manager
ivy.ager@dhr.virginia.gov
804-482-6445
State Historical Marker to Be Dedicated for VCU’s Gay Alliance of Students
—Following the organization’s establishment in 1974, a legal battle took place, eventually leading Virginia and other states to extend protections under the First and Fourteenth Amendments to similar student groups—
—Text of marker reproduced below—
PLEASE NOTE: DHR creates markers not to “honor” their subjects but rather to educate and inform the public about a person, place, or event of regional, state, or national importance. In this regard, erected markers are not memorials.
RICHMOND – The Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) has announced that a state historical marker approved by the Virginia Board of Historic Resources will be dedicated in the city of Richmond next week, focusing on the Gay Alliance of Students, the first openly LGBTQ+ student organization at Virginia Commonwealth University.
The marker dedication will be held at 9 a.m. Friday, Oct. 16, on the lawn area between the T. Edward Temple Building, 901 W. Main St. (23284), and the University Student Commons on VCU’s campus. Attendees can pay to park along the streets on campus or in the West Main Street Parking Deck, 801 W. Main St. This event is free and open to the public.
The dedication will open with a brief ceremony. Among the individuals who are scheduled to speak are Josh Leidy, director for VCU’s Affinity Engagement and Philanthropy Programs; John Mullen, archaeologist and member of the Virginia State Review Board; VCU alumnus Walter Foery; Archana Pathak, Ph.D., assistant vice provost for Faculty Affairs at VCU; and Ruth Cody, university archivist for VCU Libraries. Guests are invited to attend a walking tour of LGBTQ+ history around Richmond’s Monroe Park at the conclusion of the dedication.
In September 1974, a group of students at VCU in Richmond established the Gay Alliance of Students, the university’s first openly LGBTQ+ student organization. A legal battle that attracted local and national support for the alliance ensued after VCU rejected its application for official recognition. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled in Gay Alliance of Students v. Matthews in October 1976 that VCU’s refusal to recognize the organization violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. The court’s decision set a legal precedent that extended protections to similar student groups in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and West Virginia.
The Virginia Board of Historic Resources, which is authorized to designate new state historical markers, approved the manufacture and installation of the Gay Alliance of Students historical marker in June 2026. VCU, which sponsored the marker, covered the marker’s manufacturing cost.
Virginia’s historical highway marker program began in 1927 with installation of the first markers along U.S. Route 1. It is considered the oldest such program in the nation. Currently there are more than 2,700 state markers, mostly maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation, except in those localities outside of VDOT’s authority.
Full Text of Marker:
Gay Alliance of Students
In Sept. 1974, a group of students at Virginia Commonwealth University founded the Gay Alliance of Students, the university’s first openly LGBTQ+ student organization. VCU rejected the Alliance’s application for official recognition, prompting a legal battle that attracted local and national support for the group. In Oct. 1976, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled in Gay Alliance of Students v. Matthews that VCU’s refusal to recognize the organization violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments. The decision set a legal precedent, extending protections to similar student groups in Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and West Virginia.
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