North Carolina State University has fired Jae Edwards, the assistant director of its LGBT Pride Center, after an undercover video revealed him boasting about undermining the state’s DEI restrictions.
The footage, released by Accuracy in Media on February 25, 2026, shows Edwards admitting the center must be “careful” but finds ways around the policies to continue supporting LGBT initiatives.”We’re used to going around them and finding ways around,” Edwards said in the video, referring to the UNC system’s board of governors repealing DEI standards.
A university spokesperson confirmed the termination: “The individual seen in the video had no role in policy or compliance decisions and was not authorized to speak on behalf of the university. The staff member no longer works at the university.” Students launched a petition demanding Edwards’ reinstatement, but it garnered only about 700 signatures out of over 39,000 students. AIM’s investigations have led to two other dismissals in the UNC system for similar DEI violations.
Edwards has raised $12,600 through a GoFundMe campaign, citing emotional distress from “articles, videos, and hate comments.” This incident highlights the ongoing pushback against leftist DEI agendas in higher education, as corporations and institutions retreat from woke policies amid public backlash.
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