We are proud to both employ and serve members of the LGBTQ+ community, and wanted to take this opportunity during Pride Month to spotlight a few of the most unexpectedly LGBTQ-friendly college campuses in the country. While there are a number of schools that are widely known to come in strong in this category, such as Bryn Mawr, Wesleyan, Vassar, and Brown, we wanted to share a few others whose amazing LGBTQ+ offerings and resources are not quite as well-known to the general public.
Check them out:
Lehigh University
Lehigh’s Pride Center for Sexual Orientation & Gender Diversity is dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ students on campus. Some of the Center’s signature programs include a mentorship program to match first-year students with upperclassmen, graduate students, faculty, or staff to serve as mentors. The Pride Center also maintains a public Out List of LGBTQ+ faculty and staff to allow for networking and mentorship opportunities. Trans students who are considering LU can find all of the support the school offers through Trans@LU.
In addition to LGBTQ issues, the Pride Center focuses on intersectional justice, with themes that in past years have included racial justice, disability justice, and prison abolition. For students who do not identify as LGBTQ+, the Center also offers LU Allyship training to help all students become better allies to the community on campus!
Indiana University
Indiana’s LGBTQ+ Culture Center also offers mentorship opportunities for incoming first-year students, in addition to LGBTQ-specific scholarships. The Center also offers free counseling for students, free HIV testing, and free safer sex supplies, as well as resources and guidance for students who are transitioning at IU and allyship training for all students. IU also has many student groups available for LGBTQ+ students: the Ace/Aro Group, Black & Bold, for Black LGBTQ+ students, Connections, for LBGTQ+ women and non-binary people, Men Like Us, for GBQ+ men, and the Transgender Union for Students.
Housing at IU allows trans students to live in spaces that align with their gender identity, as well as gender-inclusive restrooms. There is also a dedicated LGBTQ+ living-learning community, called Spectrum.
Macalester College
The Gender & Sexuality Commons at Mac offers many different events for students to celebrate and build community, including the Lavender Reception and Lavender Graduation, GSRC weekly Tea Time, and Pride Month celebrations. The center also keeps an Out & Proud list of faculty and staff, offers allyship training, and provides dedicated resources for trans students.
Mac also provides all-gender housing for students beginning in fall 2023.
CU Boulder
CU Boulder’s Pride Office provides weekly check-ins (virtual during COVID-19) for students to attend when seeking support or community. Boulder also offers gender-neutral housing in addition to a dedicated Spectrum living-learning community with gender-neutral bathroom facilities.
Medical Services at CU Boulder provide a variety of healthcare services for LGBTQ+ students, including identity-affirming care, identify-affirming hormone therapy, the use of preferred names and pronouns, PrEP for HIV prevention, insurance and billing support, and identity-affirming surgical options.
University of Washington
The Q Center at the University of Washington has worked hard to offer virtual services to students during COVID-19, including a Discord group, an online Gender Discussion Group, and a QTBIPOC Discussion Group, as well as drop-in hours and a mentorship program. The Center also offers educational services, like allyship training and Queer 101, as well as events like Lavender Graduation.
The Center also allows students to rent space and spend time building community!
Need more ideas? Check out the Campus Pride Index for more information: it measures a number of factors to help LGBTQ+ students and families find their best fit! We would also recommend looking at Princeton Review’s LGBTQ-Unfriendly list - it’s really sad that this has to exist in 2021, but here we are, so it’s better to stay informed.
Finally, if you came upon this post as an LGBTQ+ student who is embarking on the college admissions process without parental support because of your sexual orientation, our hearts go out to you. Please reach out to us - you DO have options, even if you don’t know they exist, and we would be happy to discuss them with you and get you the help you need at no charge.
While we can definitely be more useful if you contact us earlier in the process, please email us at admin at dccollegecounseling dot com at any time and one of my colleagues or I will get back to you ASAP.
Happy Pride!