Campus Pride hosted fourth annual LGBT & Ally Summer Leadership Camp, July 20-25, 2010 at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN
National LGBT & ally college nonprofit recognizes Keissling of National Center for Transgender Equality with national leadership award as well as Driscoll, Topping, Barth, Thomison, Burks, D’Allaird, Graving, Brown & Feldman with “Campys” for distinguished volunteer service

(Charlotte, NC) -- Campus Pride hosted its fourth annual Campus Pride Summer Leadership Camp from July 20-25, 2010 on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN. The camp is the only one of its kind geared toward mobilizing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and ally student leaders from colleges and universities across the United States.

Nearly sixty college student leaders attended the five day camp from over thirty-five colleges and universities. Featured camp keynotes included Campus Pride founder/executive director Shane Windmeyer as well as Mara Keissling from the National Center for Transgender Equality, Dr. John Corvino of Wayne State University and writer of 365gay.com, out gay athlete Brian Sims who is also on the board chair of EqualityPA, Dr. Marisa Richmond of Tennessee Equality Project, national bisexual advocate and author Robyn Ochs and D’Arcy Meyer of the National Gay & Lesbian Law Association.

Campus Pride also bestowed its National Voice & Action Leadership Award to Mara Keissling of the National Center for Transgender Equality. The award recognizes a national leader in the LGBT and ally movement who believes in the Campus Pride mission to build future leaders and create awareness, safety and visibility for LGBT students on campus.

Read more after the jump...

Fourth Annual Campus Pride Summer Leadership Camp Kicks Off at Vanderbilt University for LGBT and Ally Students this week July 20-25
Nearly 60 LGBT and ally college students from across the country; Campus Pride Organizes Leaders for Grassroots Change at Colleges & Universities

(Nashville, TN) -- Campus Pride kicks off the fourth annual summer leadership camp for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and ally college students from colleges and universities across the country. The camp begins July 20 to 25, 2010 and will be hosted for the first time on the campus of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN.

Though summer is often a slow time of year for student organizers working for LGBT equality, today nearly sixty LGBT and ally college student leaders from all over the country came together for a week of planning, networking and training. Touted as the “only camp of its kind for LGBT advocacy and social justice,” the five-day camp experience blends traditional camp activities like arts and crafts with a core curriculum of skill building in leadership development, social justice and civic involvement. The camp mission is straightforward: “At the heart of a remarkable leader is a passion and a vision for change.” Camp training and activities underscore the camp mission and engage campers to explore the unique challenges faced as LGBT and ally campus leaders.

Shane Windmeyer, Executive Director of Campus Pride and author of The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students profiling the “100 Best LGBT-Friendly Campuses,” stated “It is our responsibility to build the future leaders who will continue the fight for equality at home, at work, at places of worship, at all levels of community. Those future leaders are on our college campuses today. The camp makes an investment for the future and will play a key role in training the next generation of leaders in the movement for LGBT rights.”

The Trevor Project is encouraging lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth across America to “be proud and speak out” by sharing stories about experiences and issues they encountered living openly and proudly as LGBTQ young people. As the leading national organization focused on crisis and suicide prevention efforts among LGBTQ youth, The Trevor Project launched the “Rated Q” video initiative on National Coming Out Day, Oct. 11, 2009. The initiative is designed to empower young people to listen to and support one another in an interactive and dynamic forum.

“The ‘Rated Q’ video initiative is really about celebrating bravery, encouraging empathy and harnessing the power of creativity and community in self-expression,” said Charles Robbins, executive director and CEO, The Trevor Project. “Since LGBTQ youth remain up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers, it is important to think outside the box and provide fresh, ingenious outlets for them to share their feelings and experiences in a safe, supportive environment.”

Every day, counselors on The Trevor Helpline, the only nationwide, around-the-clock crisis and suicide prevention helpline for LGBTQ youth, talk to young people across the country struggling with issues surrounding sexual orientation, gender identity, family/peer rejection and feelings of despair and hopelessness. For every youth in crisis, there are many more who find acceptance from a friend, teacher or loved one. The Trevor Project is challenging LGBTQ youth to express their life experiences about topics including feeling harassed, bullied or singled out, finding support from others, and coming out to family and friends.

I spent the weekend in Los Angeles with the other members of The Trevor Project's Youth Advisory Council (YAC) at our Leadership Training and I had a fantastic time! I think about 2/3 of the YAC was able to come, so it was a pretty good group of people.

We had a wonderful time. It was really beneficial to get to know each other and we all got along really well despite the fact that we came from every region of the United States. We had an insanely packed weekend filled with workshops on fundraising, advocacy, social networking, running workshops in schools, and how to not order a cheese pizza in Los Angeles.

If you haven't already, I suggest that EVERYBODY go check out Trevor Space, The Trevor Projects own social networking site for LGBTQ Youth and their Allies.

Keep your eyes out for the awesome things that the YAC has planned in the future!

Campus Pride College Fair Comes to Massachusetts Statehouse to Recruit Out LGBT & Ally Students on Wednesday, September 30th

National fair program partners with Friends of GLBT Youth, Inc to provide state-wide outreach to youth and families

Boston, MA, Wed, September 16, 2009 -- In less than two weeks, Campus Pride (www.campuspride.org) comes to the Massachusetts Statehouse in Boston to host its national college fair, the only program in the nation for out lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and ally students to find LGBT-friendly colleges. The fair will take place on Wed, September 30 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Great Hall/Grand Staircase. The fair is in partnership with Friends of GLBT Youth, Inc based locally in Boston, MA . More information available at http://www.campusclimateindex.org/events.

There are nearly thirty colleges currently registered to attend the fair from across the country including: Babson College, Brandeis University, Brown University, Bridgewater State College, Case Western Reserve University, Columbia College Chicago, Colby-Sawyer College, Dartmouth College, Emory University, Emerson College, Goddard College, Harvard College, Haverford College, Pitzer College, Suffolk University, Susquehanna University, Trinity College, Tufts University, University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of Maine Farmington, University of New Hampshire, University of Southern Maine, University of Vermont, University of Maine, University of Pennsylvania, Ursinus College and Yale University.

My name is Ernesto Dominguez; my friends call me “E.” I am a 21-year-old youth living in Portland, Oregon. I was born in Guadalajara, Mexico and grew up in the beautiful city of Salt Lake. If I had to define my sexual orientation today, I would say Queer – I tend to mostly just think of myself as a sexual being that is attracted to other sexual beings. If I had to define my gender identity today, I would say I consider myself cisgender, but also gender queer. At its core, what that means is, my gender expression tends to fluctuate (sometimes dramatically) from month to month, or sometimes day to day. On the other hand though, I have always really enjoyed my male body and never felt a need to change it in any way.

My coming out experience was different from my non-people of color (POC) peers for a number of reasons, thus making it quite different than other youth’s experiences. Because I was not white, my mother would always tell me to try and fit in, instead of standing out – that simply by being gay, I was making myself stand out from the rest of the population and subsequently was making my family stand out. My sexual orientation was a reflection not just on myself, but also on the rest of my family. Our family already had a “strike” against us for being from another country, and my sexuality only served to give my family another one.

The opportunity to volunteer at Trevor came to me at the end of a quest for something that would have a deep and lasting meaning for me and for others. I was seeking an enriching experience that would be of use to those who are in need. I was looking for an outlet and a source of nourishment for the nurturing side of my personality – an aspect that finds little employment in my line of work. Besides, I wanted to be in the company of people who are sincere believers in a worthwhile cause; who are warm, passionate, and compassionate; who are able to suspend their needs - even just for a few hours to take care of the needs of others. After 20 or so shifts over the last few months, I still cannot believe my good fortune at having found all this at The Trevor Project.

When two 11-year-old boys died by suicide in April of this year after enduring relentless anti-gay bullying at their separate schools, shocked citizens across the country were forced to come to terms with an uncomfortable but blatant epidemic. The hallways of schools, homes, churches and other places where all young people should be able to safely learn and grow are plagued with its tragic prevalence. Youth who identify as or are perceived to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning (LGBTQ) struggle with depression and thoughts of suicide at a disproportionately high rate as a result of the increased risk factors sexual minorities face.

A new study released in August by the UCLA School of Public Health found that lesbian, gay and bisexual people are twice as likely as heterosexual men and women to seek help from mental health professionals. This recently-revealed conclusion perfectly illustrates the already often-noted statistic determined by a Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey published in 2007: LGBTQ youth are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers – a fact we’re all too familiar with at The Trevor Project. Perhaps more off-putting than this distressing statistic is that only 14 states even bother to collect sexual orientation data in their Youth Risk Behavior Surveys. The remaining 72% of states ignore the opportunity to obtain vital information about a subculture of young people who are already all too often left without the support networks and resources they desperately need. As disheartening stories such as Carl Walker-Hoover’s and Jaheem Herrera’s (the two 11-year-old boys) surface more frequently, the harsh realities force us to address the preventable nature of these tragedies.

The week of September 6 through 12 marks National Suicide Prevention Week, a time when all of us should confront a taboo subject that has impacted the lives of more people than many of us care to acknowledge. The Trevor Project is the leading national organization focused on crisis and suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. Every day, The Trevor Project saves young lives through its free and confidential helpline (866.4.U.TREVOR), in-school workshops, educational materials, online resources and public policy advocacy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students, and the third leading cause of death among all people ages 15 to 24. Additionally, research has shown that LGBTQ youth are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers – a tragic outcome of the way so many young people are treated in their homes, schools, communities and religious institutions. Consider this brief story about a college student who reached out to The Trevor Helpline a few months ago: