Comer brings knowledge of activism, new media to enhance
Campus Pride’s future growth

Contacts:
Shane Windmeyer, shane@campuspride.org, 704-277-6710, ext. 1
Matt Comer, matt@campuspride.org, 704-277-6710, ext. 6

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Campus Pride, a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization for student leaders and campus groups working to create a safer college environment for LGBT students, is pleased to welcome Matt Comer, a skilled grassroots activist and communications strategist, onto its staff as Campus Pride’s new communications and programs manager. Comer begins work with the organization today.

“I’m looking forward to the new opportunities Campus Pride will provide me to continue serving the LGBT community across the nation,” said Comer. “Campus Pride’s unique mission and vision is essential for ensuring safe learning environments for LGBT students. I’m excited to be a part of an organization that is working to support and build LGBT and ally student leaders – young adults who will and are already becoming some of our community’s and nation’s strongest and brightest future leaders.”

A native of Winston-Salem, N.C., Comer has been active as a grassroots activist, outspoken advocate and journalist in North Carolina’s progressive and LGBT communities. He attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, participated in several local and national LGBT grassroots advocacy projects and built a strong local and statewide following as a blogger and civic journalist before taking a position as editor of QNotes, the Charlotte-based LGBT North Carolina newspaper, in October 2007. Last year, he enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he is completing his studies in American history and politics.

As Campus Pride’s new communications and programs manager, Comer will be responsible for overseeing the organization’s communications strategies and outreach and will aid the organization’s continued programs and fundraising development.

“Matt is the right person at the right time for our organization,” said Shane Windmeyer, Campus Pride’s co-founder and executive director. “I don't think we could have found a better fit. He brings a young adult perspective on LGBT issues and significant media expertise to help us continue our growth and success on college campuses. Campus Pride looks forward to having Matt on board in this new position.”

Comer begins work in earnest this week, accompanying Campus Pride to Baltimore, Md., for “The National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change,” the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force’s 24th annual gathering of thousands of LGBT and straight ally social justice activists and organizers. He will blog from the conference and highlight the stories of young adult leaders from across the nation. You can follow Campus Pride’s blog at the organization’s website, campuspride.org.

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BELIEVE IN -- CAMPUS PRIDE

Campus Pride is the leading national nonprofit organization 501(c)(3) for student leaders and campus organizations working to create safer, more LGBT-friendly colleges and universities. It exists to give "voice and action" in building future LGBT and ally leaders.

From Coast to Coast: Chicago, Charlotte, Boston, Los Angeles & New York set as 2011 Campus Pride College Fair Locations

Do you want to recruit out LGBT and ally students? Thanks to Campus Pride now your college can do just that. Campus Pride announces dates for it’s fifth annual national college fair program this Fall 2011 specifically designed for out lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students to find LGBT-friendly colleges and universities. More information online at http://www.campusclimateindex.org/events

REGISTER NOW

20011Campus Pride
LGBT-Friendly College Fair Program Dates & Locations

SOUTHEAST REGION - Charlotte, NC
CAMPUS PRIDE COLLEGE FAIR & PREP DAY
FOR LGBT & ALLY STUDENTS & FAMILIES
in collaboration with the Pride Charlotte Festival,
Time Out Youth & The Charlotte Lesbian & Gay Community Center
Date: Saturday, August 27, 2011
Hours of Operation: 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Location: Pride Charlotte Festival, Uptown on S. Tryon Street, between 3rd and Stonewall Streets
 
MIDWEST REGION - Chicago, IL
CAMPUS PRIDE COLLEGE FAIR & PREP DAY
FOR LGBT & ALLY STUDENTS & FAMILIES
in partnership with the Center on Halstead -- Chicago's LGBT Center
Date: Saturday, September 24, 2011
Hours of Operation: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Location: Center on Halstead, 3956 N. Halstead, Chicago, IL 60613
 
NORTHEAST REGION - Boston, MA
CAMPUS PRIDE COLLEGE FAIR & PREP DAY
FOR LGBT & ALLY STUDENTS & FAMILIES
in partnership with Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Youth (BAGLY) and Friends of GLBT Youth, Inc.
Date: Saturday, October 7, 2011
Hours of Operation: 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Location: TBD
 

Time Out Youth executive director Steve Bentley (from left), Judy Shepard, mother of hate crime victim Matthew Shepard, and Shane Windmeyer, executive director of Campus Pride were among those in attendance at the annual Believe in Youth event, held Feb. 20 at Myers Park Baptist Church. Shepard spoke frankly to an audience of more than 100 people about her experiences and the importance that all -- straight allies as well as gay, bisexual and transgendered men and women -- speak our truth to lessen stigma and stereotypes. The event, partially funded by the Wesley Mancini Foundation, also featured a performance by One Voice Chorus. (RACHEL SUTHERLAND COMMUNICATIONS PHOTO)

Campus Pride & Time Out Youth present their annual awareness event on Sun, Feb 20 to "push the Queen City forward" on LGBT issues

(Charlotte, N.C.) -- Campus Pride and Time Out Youth will present LGBT advocate Judy Shepard at their annual awareness event “Believe in Youth” on Sunday, Feb. 20, 3 p.m., at Myers Park Baptist Church’s Heaton Hall, 1900 Queens Rd. The event is free to educators and youth; $15 suggested donation otherwise.

Right: Flyer for Judy Shepard's Campus Pride/Time Out Youth event. Click to enlarge.

Shepard, mother of slain hate crime victim Matthew Shepard and author of the new book, “Meaning of Matthew: My Son’s Murder in Laramie, and a World Transformed,” will speak to the audience with a special Q&A following. Special music will be provided by Charlotte’s One Voice Chorus. Following the event, there will be a VIP meet and greet with Judy Shepard at The Bar at 316, 316 Rensselaer Street, open to the public; $5 suggested donation.

The annual “Believe in Youth” event is being presented by the national, Charlotte-based Campus Pride, a nonprofit organization for student leaders and campus organizations working to create safer, more LGBT-friendly colleges and universities, and Time Out Youth, a local LGBT youth service and support organization working in the Charlotte area for 20 years.

“Campus Pride and Time Out Youth have partnered to bring Judy Shepard to Charlotte to shed light on the ongoing crisis that faces LGBT youth and community members both locally and across the country,” said Steve Bentley, executive director of Time Out Youth. “Judy’s amazing advocacy on behalf of LGBT people provides a unique perspective and a call to action for movement on LGBT equality.”

“In the past few years, our nation has come a long way in achieving progress for LGBT people – from federal hate crimes legislation to the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ LGBT Americans are finally starting to see more full equality,” said Shane Windmeyer, executive director of Campus Pride. “That progress, however, has yet to hit Charlotte. Though the Queen City has come a long way, our community has much further to go especially for youth. We hope Judy’s message will help push this city forward.”

Catapulted onto a national stage following the murder of her son, Matthew, in 1998, Shepard has dedicated her life to advocacy on behalf of LGBT people. Determined to prevent Matthew’s fate from befalling others, she established The Matthew Shepard Foundation. She and the foundation are ongoing educational partners with Campus Pride as well as have worked with several organizations from the Human Rights Campaign to Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).

For more information about Campus Pride programs and services, visit www.CampusPride.org or email info@campuspride.org. For more information about Time Out Youth programs and services, visit www.TimeOutYouth.org or email info@timeoutyouth.org

RSVP on Facebook:

Plan on coming to our Believe in Youth event with Judy Shepard? Then click here to RSVP on Facebook!

‘It Gets Better’ candlelight vigil planned for gay teen suicide victims

LGBT, other community groups partner to present vigil on National Coming Out Day

CHARLOTTE, NC – Oct. 11, 2010 – Local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) organizations and other community groups are partnering to present “It Gets Better,” a special candlelight vigil and concert in memory of LGBT young people who fell victim to anti-gay harassment, bullying, depression and suicide. The event will be held at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 1900 The Plaza, Charlotte, NC, 28205, 7:30 p.m. on National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11, 2010, a day of both celebration and remembrance for LGBT people.

Presenting community groups include: Campus Pride, Gay Men’s Chorus of Charlotte, One Voice Chorus, PRIDE JWU Charlotte, Queer Rising QC, Sean's Last Wish, Time Out Youth and UNC-Charlotte PRIDE. Other organizations are also expected to join in on the effort.

“The nation is still mourning the loss of so many young gay people, and now is as fitting a time as ever to pause and take note of the unfathomable tragedies affecting our youth,” says Shane Windmeyer, executive director of the national, Charlotte-based group Campus Pride. “We ask that Charlotteans join with the nation in remembrance of these lost lives.”

About a week-and-a-half ago, we blogged about the tremendous support North Carolina-area colleges were giving to the LGBT-Friendly College Fair to be held in collaboration with Pride Charlotte and Time Out Youth on Oct. 2. Well, other colleges and universities haven't let us down. Go Carolinas (and all the other Southeastern colleges, too)! Keep 'em coming!

We've extended the early registration rates for both the Charlotte fair (Oct. 2) and the Portland fair (Oct. 6) until Sept. 28!

Don't miss your chance to take advantage of lowered rates and reach out to meet potential LGBT students for your educational institution. Get more info and register: www.campusclimateindex.org/events/

Registered for the Charlotte fair thus far:
Davidson College
Warren Wilson College
Columbia College Chicago
Guilford College
Syracuse University
UNC Charlotte
Washington and Lee University
North Carolina State University
IUPUI
Vanderbilt University
Appalachian State University
Elon University

And, for Portland:
Columbia College Chicago
Vanderbilt University
Western Washington Univ
Fairhaven College
Bucknell University
IUPUI
Washington State University
Oregon State University
Portland Community College
Whitman College
University of Oregon
Southern Oregon University

We're three weeks out from Campus PRide's first LGBT-Friendly College Fair ever held in the Southeast, and North Carolina colleges are stepping up.

Along with Nashville's Vanderbilt University and Chicago's Columbia College, six North Carolina schools have signed up for spaces at the LGBT-Friendly College Fair: Warren Wilson College, Guilford College, UNC Charlotte, North Carolina State University, Appalachian State University and Elon University.

The Fair, held in collaboration with Time Out Youth and the Lesbian & Gay Community Center, will be held on Oct. 2 during the Pride Charlotte festival at the N.C. Music Factory.

For more information, check out our release from last week...

Are you a college or university staff member interested in getting your campus at the Fair? Jump on the bandwagon quick! Our special $195 early bird rate ends Sept. 14. Learn more...

Photo: Pride Charlotte 2008. Credit: Willamor Media, via Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons.

WARNING: Charlotte Gays Go 'GaGa' for Lady GaGa with chance to win concert tickets, raising money for charity and counting down to Lady Gaga's Sept. 18 concert at Time Warner Cable Arena

Seven day countdown starts this Friday, Sept. 10 with the Gaga Drag Party Bus, Saturday GaGa for GaGa Dance Party and All You Can Eat Gaga Sunday Drag Brunch; All proceeds benefit Campus Pride.

(Charlotte, NC) – It may be a week away, but this weekend starts the seven day countdown to Lady Gaga, and Queen City gays are going crazy, having fun and raising funds for a good cause.

Campus Pride, a Charlotte-based national non-profit working to create safer,more LGBT-inclusive colleges and build future LGBT and ally leaders,teams up with Charlotte camp drag star Buff Faye for her “ALL BUFF WEEKEND -- SEVEN DAY COUNTDOWN TO GAGA.” All proceeds benefit Campus Pride.

"What could be more fun than a weekend of fun, parties and events one week prior to gear up for the Lady GaGa concert-- whether your gay, straight or inbetween, everyone is welcome. We love you and GaGa loves you," said Buff Faye. "I don't know about you, but my Ga Ga inspired bubble wrap outfit and 'disco stick' are all ready."

At each event this weekend, attendees have the chance to win prizes including four lucky people who will go to the sold out concert with Buff Faye and win lower level concert tickets. Events include:

• “ALL GAGA” Friday night party bus, Sept. 10, 6:30 p.m.-2:15 a.m., departing from Crave Dessert Bar, 500 W. 5th St., and visiting The Bar at 316, Hartigan’s Irish Pub, The Closet, The Scorpio and Chasers.

• Buff Faye’s “GAGA for GAGA” Party, Sept. 11, 9 p.m.-2 a.m. at The Bar at 316, 316 Rensselaer Ave.

National LGBT-Friendly College Fair to be held Oct. 2 in coordination with Pride Charlotte, in partnership with Time Out Youth and Lesbian & Gay Community Center of Charlotte

(Charlotte, N.C.) – Campus Pride is pleased to announce the historic first stop in its 2010-11 LGBT-Friendly College Fair, a program now in its fourth year connecting LGBT students and their parents to LGBT-friendly colleges and universities across the country.

Campus Pride, a national non-profit working to create safer, more LGBT-inclusive colleges and build future LGBT and ally leaders, will hold its first 2010-11 LGBT-Friendly College Fair in Charlotte, N.C., on Oct. 2, Noon -3:30 p.m., at The NC Music Factory. The event, held in collaboration with the annual Pride Charlotte festival, Time Out Youth and the Lesbian & Gay Community Center of Charlotte, marks the first time the College Fair program has visited the Southeastern U.S. and the first time it will be held in conjunction with a Pride festival.

“Our LGBT-Friendly College Fair’s event in Charlotte presents a unique opportunity for Carolinas and Southeastern students, families and universities,” said Shane Windmeyer, executive director of Campus Pride. “Prospective students want to attend campuses that are a welcoming and safe place to learn, live and grow. Our Fair’s presence in the Southeast will help students there find LGBT-friendly colleges from across the country.”

Last year, Campus Pride made a commitment to grow attendance at the Fair by partnering strategically with local LGBT and ally youth organizations as well as hosting in more progressive metropolitan “queer meccas” of LGBT activism – New York, Los Angles and Boston. That commitment continues this year with the Fair’s first stop in Charlotte and a later stop in Portland, Ore., on Oct. 16.

Windmeyer encourages greater Charlotte, the Carolinas and Southeastern college and university officials to attend the Fair, and said, “There is indeed LGBT progress in Charlotte, the Carolinas and the southeastern United States. Our LGBT-friendly national college fair program showcases campuses who want to recruit out LGBT & ally students. It sends a clear message: ‘Gay students are welcome, even celebrated on this campus.’”

Free and open to the public, the Campus Pride’s LGBT-Friendly College Fairs allow any student and their family the opportunity to interact with colleges and universities that value LGBT and ally people. Registration for schools is $195 to $250 per fair for each institution and is open to any college or university across the United States. Each fair will also feature expert advice about LGBT-friendly colleges, scholarship resources and even effective tips for campus visits.

Campus Pride’s 2010-2011 LGBT-Friendly National College Fair Program will visit: Charlotte (Oct. 2), Portland (Oct. 16), New York (Nov. 5), Boston (Nov. 6), Los Angeles (April 9). More details on each event, which are free to current or prospective students, can be found at www.campusclimateindex.org/events.

In addition to this year’s LGBT-Friendly College Fair program, Campus Pride is proud to announce its forthcoming national LGBT climate research in the report, “State of Higher Education for LGBT People,” in partnership with its Q Research Institute for Higher Education.

Written by Sue Rankin, Ph.D., Dr. Warren J. Blumenfeld, Ed.D., Genevieve N. Weber, Ph.D., LMHC and Somjen Frazer, MS, Ed. and a foreword by George Kuh, Ph.D., “The State of Higher Education for LGBT People” is the most comprehensive national research of its kind to date. The report documents experiences of nearly 6,000 students, faculty, staff and administrators who identify as LGBT at colleges and universities across the United States. Recommendations and findings from the national study provide the means for student activists, campus program planners and policy makers to implement strategic initiatives to address the needs and concerns of their LGBT students and employees. The research will be available in September, with a special webinar slated for Sept. 21 and a national policy briefing at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 23. For more information, visitwww.campuspride.org/research.

To learn more about Campus Pride programs and services, please visit www.CampusPride.org or email info@campuspride.org.

Photo: Pride Charlotte 2008. Credit: Willamor Media, via Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons.

Campus Pride Founder and Executive Director Shane Windmeyer appeared on the Keith Larson Show (WBT 1110 AM, Charlotte, NC, www.wbt.com/larson/index.aspx) on Thursday, Aug. 5, to discuss recent updates to the LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index. Recently, Campus Pride announced 19 schools had achieved a five-star rating in the Index, the highest number of schools achieving the top rating since its inception in 2007-08.

Windmeyer discusses with Larson, a conservative-Libertarian radio host, the top-rated campuses and a bit about our upcoming LGBT-Friendly National College Fair stop in Charlotte on Oct. 2.

Listen to the interview (click to play in browser, if supported, or right click and "Save link/target as..." to download).

You can subscribe to Larson podcasts or listen live when his show airs weekday mornings 9 a.m. to noon. Visit www.wbt.com/larson/index.aspx for more information.