NEW YORK TIMES FEATURES CAMPUS PRIDE

How to Find a Gay-Friendly Campus?

CAMPUS PRIDE'S NATIONAL LGBT COLLEGE FAIR PROGRAM

THEY ARE HERE TO RECRUIT YOU
Colleges Reach Out as Never Before
by John Schwartz

READ THE ENTIRE STORY ONLINE
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/education/edlife/18guidance-t.html

The scene was similar to one that plays out thousands of times a year in gyms and auditoriums around the country: a college fair. The folding tables, the school banners, the admissions officers with a student representative or two, and the brochures and tchotchkes laid out. The only thing that might have made this one appear out of the ordinary was the preponderance of handouts with rainbow designs, and the fact that the fair was being held at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center in Greenwich Village. This college fair, and several like it around the country, was devoted to recruiting gay students.

“Actually going out and recruiting a gay student — that’s a very new thing for colleges,” says Shane L. Windmeyer, the co-founder of Campus Pride, a national organization that promotes safe college environments for gay students and sponsored the event.

While Ivy League schools are often represented, the fairs also attract lesser-known institutions like Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Scott A. McIntyre, associate director of admissions there, says that his university attends some 500 fairs each year, and that including one for gay students made sense.

The Rainbow Challenge is the most unique GLBT entertainment series ever. This educational web based video series will put 10 diverse GLBT people in an extreme competition where they must learn to work and live together in order to stay in the game. In the end only one will walk away with a hefty cash prize and the title of The Rainbow Champion. Each Monday in September 2009 a new episode will be added to www.TheRainbowChallenge.com, a high quality flash website, as well as Youtube.com and immediately become viewable by millions worldwide. This show will be packed with high quality video and editing, a lively and loveable cast, beautiful nature scenes on location in Midwestern America, a wonderful soundtrack, family friendly dialogue, and an entertaining competition Reality Series style that has already established fan-base of a millions of viewers each week across television and the internet. This series will have periodic commercials touching on a variety of topics relevant to the GLBT community such as HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, self esteem issues, and pride. These public service announcements will be hosted by former contestants from several popular Prime-Time Reality Series including Survivor and The Amazing, Race. The mission of The Rainbow Challenge is to entertain in order to educate.

Campus Pride & OUTmedia Establish Partnership for Education & Activism

Say "Campus Pride" when booking; Nationally-recognized agency partners with Campus Pride for greater LGBTQQIA diversity through entertainment and programming at colleges and universities

CHARLOTTE, NC; September 3, 2009 – Campus Pride (www.campuspride.org) and OUTmedia (www.outmedia.org) announced today a partnership to support lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and ally (LGBTQQIA) students and to promote visibility of out LGBTQQIA artists and entertainers at colleges and universities across the country. As part of the partnership, OUTmedia pledges to support Campus Pride programs and services with every dollar spent with booking this year.

OUTmedia has been key in Campus Pride’s growth and sustainability. This past July, Campus Pride honored OUTmedia’s founder and president Shelly Weiss with the first-ever Campy Award for “Distinguished Service to LGBT and Ally Youth.” As a result, Campus Pride encourages colleges and universities to invest in OUTmedia, a social enterprise that for 15 years has taken enormous risks, and devoted itself to being on the forefront of promoting queer visibility on US campuses, and that continually invests in LGBTQQIA youth.

“OUTmedia, for over a decade, has transformed campus communities with a diverse understanding and unparalleled vision for queer-affirming entertainment,” said Shane Windmeyer, executive director and founder of Campus Pride. “OUTmedia believes in what we do and we appreciate this partnership to support our work across the country.”