A Rainbow of College Choices

Photo of Colleen Raezler.

newsweekIt seems that deciding which college is best for gay students goes beyond the usual questions of affordable or not, private or public, close to home or far away, and Big Ten or Big East. It also involves finding out which colleges are considered most sensitive to LGBT concerns.

This week's "My Story" section in Newsweek focused on the plight of freelance journalist Julie Halpert's lesbian daughter as she narrowed down her college choices. Halpert also managed to imply that police officers and Marines are homophobes in her exploration of the topic.

Halpert used unfortunate incidents that LBGT high school students experienced as a way to illustrate the need for LGBT-tailored policies in colleges. She highlighted 25-year-old Jacob Weldon, "who became estranged from his parents during his senior year in high school after he told his father, a police officer and former Marine, that he was gay. (He's now reconciled with him.)" Halpert continued, "Growing up in a conservative town in Texas, he became accustomed to having "fag" scrawled across his windshield."

Story Continues Below Ad ↓

To be fair, Halpert did also cite sexually orientated prejudice in the "liberal community of Ann Arbor, Mich." However, while detailing Yoni Siden's experience of coming out to his parents "three years ago" and having "been called a ‘faggot' since the sixth grade," Halpert did not feel it necessary to include the occupations of Siden's presumably accepting parents.

In addition to bashing conservatives, Halpert highlighted the Climate Index, a project of the gay activist nonprofit organization Campus Pride. She labeled it as "a way to allow colleges to connect with openly gay students." According to the Index Web site, it is "vital tool for assisting campuses in learning ways to improve their LGBT campus life and ultimately shape the educational experience to be more inclusive, welcoming and respectful of LGBT and Ally people."

Colleges and universities voluntarily answer a set of questions about their polices, procedures and academic programs regarding LGBT issues. But a quick look at the questions reveal that Campus Pride may be more about indoctrination than inclusiveness. 

Following is an example of the questions the Index asks schools:

  • Does your campus prohibit discrimination based on gender identity or gender expression by including the words "gender identity" or "gender identity or expression" in its primary non-discrimination statement or Equal Employment Opportunity policy?
  • Does your campus have a full-time professional staff member who is employed to support LGBT students and increase campus awareness of LGBT concerns/issues as 50% or more of the individual's job description?
  • Does your campus have a standing advisory committee that deals with LGBT issues similar to other standing committees on ethnic minority/multicultural issues that advises the administration on constituent group issues and concerns?
  • Does your campus provide gender-neutral/single occupancy restroom facilities in administrative and academic buildings?
  • Does your campus integrate LGBT issues into existing courses when appropriate?
  • Does your campus include sexual orientation issues in new faculty/staff programs and training opportunities?
  • Does your campus include gender identity/expression issues in new faculty/staff programs and training opportunities?
  • Does your campus regularly offer activities and events to increase awareness of the experiences and concerns of transgender people?
  • Does your campus enable transgender students to be housed in keeping with their gender identity/expression?
  • Does your campus offer LGBT students a way to be matched with a LGBT-friendly roommate in applying for campus housing?
  • Does your campus provide on-going training on LGBT issues and concerns for residence life professional and student staff at all levels?
  • Does your campus offer individual counseling for students that is sensitive and affirming for (supportive) LGBT issues/concerns?
  • Does your campus actively distribute condoms and LGBT-inclusive information on HIV/STD/STI services and resources?
  • Does your campus actively seek to recruit and retain LGBT students, similar to other targeted populations (e.g. ethnic/multicultural students, athletes, international students)?
  • Does your campus include sexual orientation issues in new student orientation programs?

Every student on a college campus deserves to obtain an education without the added stress of facing verbal or physical harassment no matter what his or her ethnicity/race/religion or sexual orientation. Coerced compliance from schools to indoctrinate the other students is not the way to protect minority students from harassment.

Halpert stated, "On top of the standard academic criteria, [LGBT students are] seeking a place that provides a safe, accepting environment that allows them the chance to be themselves and find others like them-something many couldn't find in high school."

Isn't that true of any college-bound student?

—Colleen Raezler is a research assistant at the Culture and Media Institute


Comments Policy

All comments are owned by whoever posted them and are subject to our terms of use. They should not be assumed to represent the views of NewsBusters.

Viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

Huh?

So where exactly is the "liberal bias" here?

~Oh look

Oprah's interior designer comments on NB. How exciting. 

A member for 41 weeks and this is your third post. High achiever.

 

That high-pitched scream you hear is the troll under my heel. 

When was the last time you

When was the last time you saw an article agonizing over the bigotry and hatred faced by Christians on college campuses?

Edit....bad placement.  This reply is to Nate above.

I didn't think it was physically possible, but this both sucks and blows. -Bart Simpson

chose,

LOL-Damn, he types even slower than me.

-Dave

This coup has gone on long enough. The time to put it down is NOW.

Hmm, been here 41 weeks and have posted on three threads

But you are not a troll, right?

-Dave

This coup has gone on long enough. The time to put it down is NOW.

"Does your campus actively

"Does your campus actively distribute condoms?"

How about "Does your campus actively distribute underwear and toothpaste?"

What is this, Summer Camp? Gay or not, buy your own freakin' condoms! 

  

Here Here!

Yes, buy your own condoms.  How about free soap, or paper.  What's next?  Should we openly accept people with drinking problems?  Give them free booze?  What about under-achievers? Will they get crib sheets?  Should the overweight get special facilities, and free personal trainers and cooks?

He who trims himself to suit others, will soon whittle himself away.

My alma mater did not

My alma mater did not accept drunks... They trained them themselves!

Safe

Most college campuses today are safer and more accepting for gays than for conservative evangelical Christians, including some institutions that began as Christian colleges. 

When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.

My imaginary son, balboa, has HUGE BUTT WARTS.

  I have some questions for the schools he desires to attend.

  • Does your campus prohibit discrimination based on butt wart type or butt wart size by including the words "butt wart" or "butt wart size" in its primary non-discrimination statement or Equal Employment Opportunity policy?
  • Does your campus have a full-time professional staff member who is employed to support Huge Butt Wart students and increase campus awareness of Huge Butt Wart concerns/issues as 50% or more of the individual's job description?
  • Does your campus have a standing advisory committee that deals with Huge Butt Wart issues similar to other standing committees on ethnic minority/multicultural issues that advises the administration on constituent group issues and concerns?
  • Does your campus provide buttwart-neutral/single occupancy restroom facilities in administrative and academic buildings?
  • Does your campus integrate Huge Butt Wart issues into existing courses when appropriate?
  • Does your campus include medical butt wart orientation issues in new faculty/staff programs and training opportunities?
  • Does your campus include Huge Butt Wart issues in new faculty/staff programs and training opportunities?
  • Does your campus regularly offer activities and events to increase awareness of the experiences and concerns of Huge Butt Wart afflicted people?
  • Does your campus enable Huge Butt Wart afflicted students to be housed in keeping with their butt wart identity/expression?
  • Does your campus offer Huge Butt Wart students a way to be matched with a Huge Butt Wart-friendly roommate in applying for campus housing?
  • Does your campus provide on-going training on Huge Butt Wart issues and concerns for residence life professional and student staff at all levels?
  • Does your campus offer individual counseling for students that is sensitive and affirming for (supportive) Huge Butt Wart issues/concerns?
  • Does your campus actively distribute butt wart cream and Huge Butt Wart-inclusive information on butt wart services and resources?
  • Does your campus actively seek to recruit and retain Huge Butt Wart students, similar to other targeted populations (e.g. ethnic/multicultural students, athletes, international students)?
  • Does your campus include various butt wart type issues in new student orientation programs?  

Sincerely,

a Veteran of a 1000 psychic wars.

PS: Did someone here ask what this had to o with liberal bias? 

you know.. you see these post headers

and you just have to come and look.

I does try hard.

You gots to draw them in before you can spring teh traps.

~I know

It's like a good horror flick, you want to look away, you should look away, you'll be sorry if you don't look away, but you just can't help looking anyway.....

 

That high-pitched scream you hear is the troll under my heel. 

I can honestly say that I wouldn't pay for my kid to

 go to a college with a "gay index" listing. Gays may be there, but as for actively drawing them? It says to me that they might be more interested in the gay rights above any my kid might have. No thanks. Of course, I also wouldn't pay to send my kids to a college that has a bunch of keffiyeh wearing, capitalist hating, Jew bashers there, either. If they wanted to go there so badly, they'd have to get a loan or a full scholarship.

 

All a Democrat needs is the upper-story window of public attention and the chamber pot of rhetoric. How else to explain the rise of Joe Biden?  P.J. O' Rourke

See, as Conservatives we

See, as Conservatives we need to leverage this against these idiotic liberals.  They never, never think of their unintended consequences.

I want them to come up with a list of what universities are more accepting of this immoral lifestyle. So we know where we don't want to send our money. That's why this works for me, because I can figure out what universities I can get my grandkids to attend. Though, frankly, I am leaning towards Pepperdine.

Moral poverty on display.

Moral poverty on display.

Moral poverty on display.

Incredible.