LGBT Student Protest Underway: Campus Pride supports student efforts to increase LGBT safety at University of Rhode Island

Campus Pride cites protest as real life example of findings in the "2010 State of Higher Education for LGBT People" to be released today at U.S. congressional briefing on Capitol Hill

(Washington, D.C. -- Thursday, Sept. 23, 2010) Tonight at 12:01 a.m., University of Rhode Island students began protesting college administrators by engaging in a peaceful, direct action to call attention to the unsafe environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students, faculty and staff on the campus. Read the official press release online at www.CampusPrideBlog.org.

Campus Pride, the nation’s largest non-profit organization working with LGBT and ally college and university students, offers its unwavering support of students’ right to expect safe, welcoming and inclusive learning and campus environments at their institutions of higher education.

“Students, faculty and staff at the University of Rhode Island have every right to demand their university administration fulfill its duties in ensuring safe climates for campus learning, living and working,” said Shane Windmeyer, executive director and founder of Campus Pride. “We stand with University of Rhode Island students, faculty and staff in requesting administrators respond to needs on campus and act decisively to curb anti-LGBT bias incidents, acts of violence.”

Through its Q Research Institute for Higher Education, Campus Pride released this week its "2010 State of Higher Education for LGBT People." Today on Capitol Hill Campus Pride holds a congressional briefing on the report at 10 a.m. in the House Visitors Center. The in-depth research study is the most comprehensive national LGBT higher education study of its kind. Campus Pride surveyed more than 5,000 LGBT students, faculty and staff for the report. Findings demonstrate that the experiences of URI students are neither rare nor fleeting -- they are REAL.

Among the findings in the report:

- One quarter (23%) of LGBQ staff, faculty, and students reported experiencing harassment (defined as any conduct that has interfered with your ability to work or learn). Almost all identified sexual identity as the basis of the harassment (83%). An even greater percentage of transgender students, faculty, & staff reported experiencing harassment (39%) with 87% identifying their gender identity/expression as the basis for the harassment. The form of the harassment experiences by transgender people was more overt and blatant.

- One-third of LGBQ (33%) and transgender (38%) students, faculty, and staff have seriously considered leaving their institution due to the challenging climate.

- More than half of all faculty, students, & staff hide their sexual identity (43%) or gender identity (63%) to avoid intimidation.

- More than a third of all transgender students, faculty, & staff (43%) and 13% of LGBQ respondents feared for their physical safety. This finding was more salient for LGBQ students and for LGBQ and/or Transgender People of Color.

For more information about Campus Pride's "2010 State of Higher Education for LGBT People" report, visit www.campuspride.org/research. For more information on the University of Rhode Island student-led protest, contact Brian Stack, 413-949-6227, bstackuri@gmail.com.