About Us

The History of the Stonewall Center


A series of anti-LGB incidents in 1984 led to protests and the development of a report on the campus climate for lesbian, gay, and bisexual students at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. One of the report’s main recommendations was the creation of the Program for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Concerns. The Program was established in fall 1985 as an administrative office in the Student Affairs. In 1995, the Program for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Concerns was renamed “The Stonewall Center: A Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay and Transgender Educational Resource Center.”

When we opened in 1985, The Stonewall Center was just the third center of its kind on a college campus. Our center has served as a model for many other colleges and universities, and today more than 150 LGBT campus centers and offices exist across the United States and Canada.

For almost 25 years, the Stonewall Center has served the campus, the other Five Colleges, and the surrounding community by providing cultural and educational programming; LGBTQ ally training sessions; a Speakers Bureau on LGBTQ issues; a dvd, video, and book library; information and referrals; support for individuals who experience harassment and discrimination; advocacy for LGBTQ students at UMass Amherst; and community outreach through Queer-e, our weekly listserv of LGBTQ Five-College and local events.

Feel free to visit our office from 9-5 Monday through Friday or contact us by phone or electronically.