Recently, advocates from around the country gathered in Baltimore for the annual Creating Change conference, hosted by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. At the 24th national conference on LGBT equality, the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) and the National Education Association's Office of Minority Community Outreach partnered to present a timely townhall meeting that focused on the challenges lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth of color face -- one of these issues being violence at school.

Hazing is alive and well on college campuses across the nation. The tragic death of Robert Champion Jr. at Florida A&M University (FAMU) is a reminder of this.

Read the rest of Campus Pride Executive Director Shane Windmeyer's commentary at The Huffington Post...

Did you know that college and university campuses are the third most common place for a hate crime to occur? Student retention and persistence depends on having a safe place to live and learn on campus. Your campus should know what to do and how to respond if a hate crime happens. Learn "what your campus needs to know about hate crimes" including how the law defines a hate crime and the best practices for a response to a hate crime. Participants will examine real examples from campuses across the country and will get the latest information on hate crime trends. Key facts and figures will be shared from the nationally known Stop The Hate curriculum. This webinar on Wednesday, March 9, 2011, at 3 p.m. (EST), is a necessary primer for all college staff,faculty and administrators.

When: Wednesday, March 9, 2011 At 3:00 PM (EST)

Who: Hosted by Greg Miraglia, Dean of Career Technical Education/NapaValley College Police Academy and National Program Coordinator for StopThe Hate and Shane Windmeyer, Founder of Stop The Hate

Webinar Fee: $95.00

Click here to register now...

Today, another hate crime was reported on a University of California campus. Several swastikas were discovered on the walls of a student housing building on the campus of UC Berkeley. This is the third time an incident of this type has been reported on this campus since last October.

Last last week, a transgender male student was found stabbed in a restroom on the campus of the California State University at Long Beach. While police are still investigating this incident to determine if it was in fact a hate crime, students on the campus and members of the transgender community are understandably scared.

What is most disturbing is that these recent events follow a series of hate crimes reported on campuses throughout the state. During Black History Month, a noose was found hanging in the library at UC San Diego. Swastikas were scratched into the walls in a student housing facility at UC Davis.

According to the 2008 FBI Hate Crime Report, educational institutions continue to be the third most common location where hate crimes are reported. Of all the places in our "land of the free and equal" where the free exchange of ideas and identities should occur safely, it should be our school campuses. It's tragic to think, that the place where young people should feel the most safe, that hate continues to strike fear those who are different.