15 Of The 'Absolute Worst' College Campuses for LGBTQ Youth, Via Campus Pride

As summer slowly winds to a close, students across the country are heading back to their college campuses for the start of a new academic year.

This transitional time can still be incredibly critical for students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning (LGBTQ), many of whom may be leaving home for the first time in their lives. That’s why Campus Pride researchers hope to steer those students right with its 2016 Shame List, rating the 95 “absolute worst” college campuses for LGBTQ youth.

Released Monday, the Shame List comprises campuses that “openly discriminate against LGBTQ youth in policies, programs and practices,” according to a press release. The second annual list aims to complement the Campus Pride Index, which is a national benchmarking tool to access the LGBT-friendly nature of individual colleges and universities across the country.

Not surprisingly, the list includes many private, religious-based institutions. As Campus Pride’s Executive Director Shane Windmeyer pointed out, many of those schools have requested or received exemptions for Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex and gender identity, because of their religious affiliations.

“Religion-based bigotry is careless and life-threatening,” Windmeyer said in a press release. “Families and young people deserve to know that this list of schools are the worst for LGBTQ youth. They are not loving, welcoming, safe spaces to live, learn and grow ― and nobody wants to go to a college that openly discriminates against anyone.”

CLARIFCATION: This article has been updated to specify Wheaton College in Illinois.