LGBT Students Harassed At Colleges Nationwide, New Report Says

A recent report from advocacy group Campus Pride found that many lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individuals feel uncomfortable on campus.

Approximately 25 percent of lesbian, gay and bisexual students and university employees have been harassed due to their sexual orientation, as well as a third of those who identify as transgender, according to the study and reported by the Chronicle of Higher Education. The study asked 5,150 people at about 100 colleges about their experiences last year.

The report, titled "The 2010 State of Higher Education for LGBT People," was conducted by Campus Pride's Q Research Institution of Higher Education. Although previous studies have shown that LGBT students are consistently discriminated against throughout elementary and high school, this report (available for purchase through Campus Pride) is the first to document incidences of harassment at the collegiate level.

According to the Miami Herald, Dr. Susan Rankin, the primary author of the report, concluded: "Unequivocally, the 2010 State of Higher Education for LGBT People demonstrates that LGBTQ students, faculty and staff experience a 'chilly' campus climate of harassment and far less than welcoming campus communities."

The report offers institutions of higher education a number of recommendations designed to foster a more welcoming campus for LGBT community members. Suggestions range from offering health insurance coverage to same-sex partners of university employees to providing gender and sexuality training to staff members in athletic departments and residence-life. According to the Chronicle, more than seventy such procedural recommendations are given by the report.

On Thursday, Campus Pride will hold a U.S. Congressional briefing at the Capitol to further discuss findings.

Are you an LGBT student or ally who has experienced discrimination on campus? Tell us how you feel below.

Comments

[dbmetzger]

01:59 PM on 11/08/2010

Transgender College Athlete Confronts Publicity
A female-to-male transgender member of the George Washington University women's basketball team wants to be identified as a man this season. Kye Allums is believed to be the first openly transgender NCAA Division I college basketball player. http://www.newslook.com/videos/263278-transgender-college-athlete-confronts-publicity?autoplay=true

[Danielle Krieger]

05:39 AM on 09/30/2010

(from Post 1)

When I was finally able to enter the collegiate environment, I opted for a community college with a technical program that I was interested in. Being a little anxious is normal in a new environment, as I very much was. However, things began to happen from Day 1. Though others were forming bonds with upperclassmen without much effort, I was the new pariah. As the days progressed, I would notice some groups off in a corner snickering as I entered the area and then quickly scurry away. As the weeks progressed, things took a turn for the worst and the open harassment began and my life was even threatened by a fellow student. Though the school has a "No Tolerance" policy about such behavior, the staff all but ignored it and did nothing to deter the behavior. I took my concerns all the way to the Dean of Students, who refused an audience. The behavior continued until I finally withdrew my enrollment at the end of the semester.

This HAS to stop! We've GOT to do something about it! If not now, when will be a good time? When we lose more students at every level to suicide?

[Danielle Krieger]

05:29 AM on 09/30/2010

Personally, I grew up in a VERY conservative town in Southern Idaho (Yep, land of former Sen. Larry Craig). To say that my high school experience was pretty rough would probably be nominated for "Understatement of the Year". Though gay, lesbian, and bisexual students have all endured a great deal of assault and harassment, I dare say that in my hometown, an openly transgender student would not survive. They would be another statistic in an alarming trend that is finally coming to light across the country. The suicide rate within the transgender community is arguably much higher than that of the remaining members of the LGBT community. Often, (especially with male-to-female cases) many of those are confused with those who are gay or lesbian. Of all the people I attended high school with, I'm the only alumnus to actually be openly transgender as a transitioning transsexual woman (sorry about the tongue-twister). I never came out in high school because I was so afraid that either my peers would end my life or push me into ending my own.

Years later, I have been in transition for some time. Normally, I do not have a problem stating that I am a transgender woman to anyone who asks. I don't advertise on a billboard, but there are those who inquire. For the sake of education, I acquiesce to divulge select information.

(continued in Post 2)

[jerryatthebeach]

05:13 PM on 09/21/2010

FIGHT BACK !!!! You can only be bullied if you allow it....

[PaleoConORD]

12:53 PM on 09/19/2010

How does a kid in 2nd or 3rd grade have even the slightest clue about a sexual identity?

[Danielle Krieger]

05:42 AM on 09/30/2010

Teachers and, especially, parents play a big role in that. Also, older siblings who teach the younger ones that such (being gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender) is to be ridiculed until it stops happening. Love is inherent. Prejudice is learned.

[DCmykl]

06:09 PM on 09/18/2010

Justin Aaberg, age 15, was a gay student at Anoka High School in Minnesota who committed suicide July 9th of this year. The school district has become ground zero in the battle between those who want safe spaces for students and those who want any mention of homosexuality banned from high schools.

Justin’s death is one of five suicides by Anoka-Hennepin District high school students during the past year due to bullying, three of them by gay students, and while the district says it takes bullying seriously and has beefed up discipline against harassment, it has spurned invitations by LGBT groups to do anti-bullying education. To make matters worse, a group of conservative Christians have formed an organization to put pressure on the school board not to bow to LGBT interests.

The district made headlines last year when the Minnesota Department of Human Rights alleged that two teachers conspired to harass a student, Alex Merritt, who they thought was gay. The news led to protests at school board meetings urging the district to adopt stronger anti-bullying policies and offers by LGBT groups to provide education. The school board rebuffed those efforts.

I think it’s time for the Department of Justice to launch an investigation of each Anoka-Hennepin District student’s suicide to see if grounds exist to launch prosecutions for violations of their civil rights. That approcach worked in Mississippi in 1964 and it can work in Minnesota now. It's long past time gay kids stop dying.

[Ioan Lightoller]

07:44 PM on 09/18/2010

Fanned and faved.

It's about time to start investigating these deaths and if there is evidence of bullying, to obtain justice for these kids. Maybe if the price becomes too high, some of this will stop. And make the parents responsible for the actions of their children...bullying starts at home.

[DCmykl]

06:07 PM on 09/18/2010

Justin Aaberg, age 15, was a gay student at Anoka High School in Minnesota who committed suicide July 9th of this year. The school district has become ground zero in the battle between those who want safe spaces for students and those who want any mention of homosexuality banned from high schools.

Justin’s death is one of five suicides by Anoka-Hennepin District high school students during the past year due to bullying, three of them by gay students, and while the district says it takes bullying seriously and has beefed up discipline against harassment, it has spurned invitations by LGBT groups to do anti-bullying education. To make matters worse, a group of conservative Christians have formed an organization to put pressure on the school board not to bow to LGBT interests.

The district made headlines last year when the Minnesota Department of Human Rights alleged that two teachers conspired to harass a student, Alex Merritt, who they thought was gay. The news led to protests at school board meetings urging the district to adopt stronger anti-bullying policies and offers by LGBT groups to provide education. The school board rebuffed those efforts.

I think it’s time for the Department of Justice to launch an investigation of each Anoka-Hennepin District student’s suicide to see if grounds exist to launch prosecutions for violations of their civil rights. That approcach worked in Mississippi in 1964 and it can work in Minnesota in 2010. It's time gay kids stop dying.

[JaCar]

06:22 PM on 09/17/2010

For those who side with people harassing members of the LGBT community, is somebody forcing you to have Gay relations? If you don't want to be in a homosexual relationship, you do have that right you know. Gays aren't much for having relations with members of the opposite sex, but they don't demonize those of us that choose to have it. Exactly what is your problem with letting people choose who they love? Why is it your business?

I'm guessing most of the homophobes lean to the right politically. They want the government out of our lives, unless it's used to deny members of LGBT community their rights to live their lives as they'd like. Here's a helpful hint for the LGBT bashers, If you think homosexual s ex is wrong, DON'T HAVE IT!

[Ioan Lightoller]

02:10 PM on 09/18/2010

I have found this tendency to want government out of people's lives unless those people are GLBT ironic to say the least. It is not the business of anyone but GLBT people if we marry, adopt children, have equal housing/job rights. If you don't like us, stay out of our lives and live your own.

I find it interesting that GLBT people do not demonise straights for their lives/relationships but that so many straights seem determined to demonise ours.

[JaCar]

02:36 PM on 09/18/2010

You have allies in the straight community. Sorry progress is so slow, but we'll eventually beat back the m0ronic hordes.

[TheBlondeRaven]

07:41 AM on 09/17/2010

I think that individuals that harass others ( for whatever reason) have a very low self worth themselves. I see it as completely irrelevant what people do in their bedrooms.

[hypnotoad72]

11:07 AM on 09/17/2010

The ambient environment contributes to a person's behavior and mindset as well.

There are a number of reasons GBLT people have low self-worth.  

And you're not wrong; a root cause for being harassed is being seen as having low self-esteem.  Logically, a pro-life environment would qualify, quantify, and remove issues detrimental to a person's development.

Same-gender attraction is not wrong and the patterns are seen throughout nature, but this isn't a discussion of biology.

Bullying is wrong and bullies are not conducive to a learning environment.

Those standing up against bullies also happen to be showing a high sense of self-esteem and rightly so.

[TheBlondeRaven]

01:53 PM on 09/17/2010

You completely misread my post.
- I wrote that the people who harass have low self-worth, not that the people who are harassED have it.
-I said that what people do in their bedroom is irrelevant to what I think about them as a person. Which means I'm in favour of gay rights.

[Dan W Bright]

12:32 AM on 09/17/2010

booooooooooooooooooooooooooooo leave em be, let em study!

[snittersnit]

10:17 PM on 09/16/2010

As a hetero wife/mother I'll tell you this- if my children EVER, and I mean EVER treat someone that is GLBT badly because of their sexual orientation (and I don't think they will, because we don't tolerate that at all) they'll be in for a major surprise. They're still young- but the one lesson I preach is 'You don't have to like everyone, but you must always be kind to them.'

[Ioan Lightoller]

11:07 PM on 09/16/2010

Fanned and faved.

Thank you. If more straight parents would teach their children that bigotry is unacceptable, we might not have these problems. Thanks for being a real parent, teaching your children real values.

[jcabowers]

03:32 PM on 09/18/2010

Thank you for being such a good parent.

[Kevin Atlanta]

09:56 PM on 09/16/2010

The Fearful Fundamentalists of the Catholic, Evangelical and LDS/Mormons Cults of Jesus Inc are as represented on campus as off.  They can't all go to BJU, Liberty or whatever the current Talibangelist-in-training hot spot is.  Porno Pete La Barbera just had all his haters in one place for a cellar training session.  
My Gay son bloodied a few knuckles but the problems stopped.
My Straight son had "scheduling problems" and way too much drama.
It's part of growing up and bigotry is unacceptable in any form.

[DrSnuggles]

02:48 PM on 09/16/2010

In response to some of the comments below; we have to get away from the 'nature vs. nurture' debate regarding homosexuality. It's a trick question asked by bigots because they win no matter what the response is. "Is it genetic? Well then it's probably a genetic disease." - "Is it based on upbringing? Well then its a clear choice, and you can change choices."

The next time someone asks you "Nature vs. nurture?" you say - "It doesn't matter, someone's sexual preferences are their own business; not mine; not yours."

[IrishYanks]

03:05 PM on 09/16/2010

Good Point!

[kdb7594102]

05:50 PM on 09/16/2010

Yup, but we don't live in a world where you can live your life without the interference of those that think they know better.

[Kevin Atlanta]

10:00 PM on 09/16/2010

I'm in agreement with you Kdb and didn't realize how snarky that looked.  Please, no offense intended and we share the "problem" of those theocrats and the like who think they have the "only path."
I'll take the one less traveled by; thank you.

[MichaelAKD]

09:56 PM on 09/17/2010

back in the late 90's i used to have to go to a dreaded night class once a week. i used to camp out at the end of the hall on the third floor in the student lounge, all 6x15 feet of it. it just happened to be the same place that the schools lgbt group would gather a few times a month. i used to share coffee and talk with some of them and they helped to make me a better person by opening my eyes to prejudices that i held but felt i didn't, if that makes any sense. a few months later after graduation a news story came on while i was working at my bar and i felt like i'd been hit in the gut by someone with a hammer. the photo on the screen was of one of guys i'd shared coffee with on many of those nights before class, it was matt shepard. they said he'd been taken to our hospital in fort collins, pvh and was critical. he had be tortured and left to die. it was either the next day or the day after they took him off the machines and he died. that was the day i stopped standing by saying nothing when people made crude comments, that was the day i lost my belief that people are good for the most part, they aren't, couldn't be to let something like that happen. after all this time and so little change.

[IrishYanks]

02:31 PM on 09/16/2010

I went to a university most on this site would probably turn their noses up at because of it's conservative culture, but as a gay student I faced absolutely no discrimination, and my friends were as supportive as they come.

[lisalulu]

11:57 PM on 09/16/2010

Glad you had such an inclusive relationship at your university. Kudos.

Why would we turn our noses up? Why don't you just give us the State - now you got me curious.

[bulbul2]

07:47 AM on 09/17/2010

I have the same experience on my gay friends. I worked at the med. center. in midwest. My coleague , the medical student and another grad student were all gay men. Actually they were very popular in the campus mainly for their personalities. Being gay was never an issue, this was actually in the late 80`s. ...

[Ioan Lightoller]

04:23 PM on 09/18/2010

Yes, but there are far too many places where this is not yet true.

[lisalulu]

10:44 AM on 09/16/2010

I just watched "Out in the Silence" a documentary about a 16 year old high school boy growing up on rural America - Joe Wilson and Dean Hamer's movie is inspriring, thoughtful, funny. Google it.

If this is happening on college campuses - what is happening in American high schools.

Whether you are straight, gay, bi, trans - you need to speak up loudly - especially straight people who believe in progress and equality.

People are people, love is love - and sex has nothing to do with orientation.

[jerry23]

11:15 AM on 09/16/2010

I plan of seeing the film. Have read lots about it. I live in sort of rural Pennsylvania, the other side of the state, and can identify. We have been harassed for 27 years. The Police have ignored it, our families have ignored it and you really find out who you friends are real fast. The sad thing is that this has gone on for so long that many think it is us that have the problem. You start living like a spy. Where you don't want anyone to know your true identity. It is not that you live in the closet, but getting an estimate for a home improvement is a shell game. When they do the Math, contractors give the impression they were duped. Like you aren't paying them with real money, like you hide something. We haven't been able to get an Attorney for support. So the Band plays on in bullying. You just get skilled at dodging barbs.

My point is that being Gay is a "Mind Field" that requires some knowledge to walk though. The Film is like a mantra, a story being told and acted out everywhere. Bullying can be registered by degrees. Keeping you ear to the ground requires attention and diligence. One odd piece of info is that I had read that Gay People fair better as Senior Citizens because we have learned to adapt and understand the Isolation that comes with aging because we have had lots of practice.

[lisalulu]

11:25 AM on 09/16/2010

Its free on hulu. The filmmakers put it out there so young adults would not have to fear.

I bet you have lots of practice walking thin lines - it must be exhausting.

I worry for those young people with no "safe homes" or educators, or community based support - it can be scary and lonely. Completely unacceptable.

[kdb7594102]

05:55 PM on 09/16/2010

already a HUGE fan, love ya lulu!!!!!

[lisalulu]

11:42 PM on 09/16/2010

Right back at you! We had some great rays of sunshine from the CA Federal Courts and then there is this in 2010.