Rachel Jackson is a junior at UNR majoring in journalism and minoring in photography. After they graduate Jackson hopes to become a photojournalist. *Please note: Jackson uses they/she pronouns and will be referred to as “they” in this article.
Rachel Jackson, 20, is a University of Nevada, Reno junior who recently started Pride of 775, a student-run reporting initiative that focuses on queer experiences here in Reno. Jackson describes Pride of 775 as a photography and podcast based project that looks at both the good and bad experiences of identifying in the LGBTQ+ community.
Jackson currently identifies as a non-binary lesbian, meaning they don’t identify with either the male or female gender, and they are attracted to women. Jackson came out in high school as bisexual and has gone through many iterations of their identity before landing on what they use today.
Jackson said that they are wanting to make friends as restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic are being lifted, and meeting queer people through this project was just the way to do it.
“I feel like a lot of people have come into their identities over COVID, and now that we’re slowly inching our way out of it, it’s just fun to talk about,” Jackson said. “Like, ‘What’s your favorite part about being gay? What’s your least favorite part?’”
You can find Pride of 775 at its website (https://prideof775.wordpress.com/) or on Tik Tok (https://www.tiktok.com/@prideof775?lang=en), Twitter (https://twitter.com/Prideof775) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/prideof775/) @Prideof775.
Jackson’s first feature on Pride of 775 is about Cora who also identifies as a non-binary lesbian. A podcast episode features discussions about being lesbian in Reno, the differences about living here compared to living in Las Vegas, and current queer discourse on Tik Tok.
But Jackson is still on the search for people who want to participate in the project.
“I’m just trying to find people who want to sit down and talk about being gay because it’s one of the most fun things to do,” they said.
Jackson said they hope to provide a resource for queer people to listen to other people in the LGBTQ+ community and find comfort knowing that other people are going through the same experience. Though Jackson does say that people who don’t identify as a part of this community are more than welcome to tune in as well.
So far, Jackson said they have gotten a positive reaction about Pride of 775 online and doesn’t expect to get much hate in the future.