Early-bird registration rates for Camp Pride are soon coming to an end. Don't wait before it's too late! Early-bird registration period closes May 30!

More than three dozen students from across the U.S. have already registered to attend this unique, one-of-a-kind, five-day social justice training designed to turn LGBT and ally students into young leaders for positive and inclusive change.

Click here to learn more about Camp, registration and scholarships and be sure to check out our unique fundraising ideas.

If you aren't convinced, just take a look at all the great peeps we got coming...

Campus Pride recently announced that spoken word and slam poetry artist Kit Yan will be Camp Pride's artist-in-residence. In addition to Yan's appearance, Kara Laricks of NBC's "Fashion Star" will also be on hand.

Zach Wahls, affectionately known as "That Kid From YouTube," whose passionate testimony in front of the Iowa General Assembly defending his lesbian parents and family was named YouTube's Top Political Video of 2011 will keynote the annual leadership development experience. While at Camp Pride, Wahls will be presented an honorary Campus Pride Voice & Action National Leadership Award.

Nationally-respected LGBT movement leaders and speakers will also be at Camp, sharing their wisdom, knowledge and insights to help young LGBT and ally student leaders learn the skills they need to create positive, LGBT-inclusive social justice change on their campuses and in their communities.

Speakers confirmed for Camp Pride thus far include:

• Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, reknown for her indepth policy knowledge and experience in LGB and transgender inclusion efforts.
• Caitlin Ryan, director of the Family Acceptance Project and San Francisco State University, whose work on LGBT health and mental health since the 1970s has had a defining impact on how communities work with LGBT youth and families.
• Robyn Ochs, a bisexual speaker, teacher, writer and activist, who has made significant contributions to the national LGBT equality movement while raising awareness of bisexuality, pansexuality and other underserved and marginalized people within the LGBT community.
• Cathy Renna, a nationally-respected communications strategist known for her media relations expertise and work with LGBT non-profits and other clients for nearly 20 years.
• Sue Rankin, associate professor of College Student Affairs and Higher Education and research associate at the Center for the Study of Higher Education at Pennsylvania State University, who serves on the research staff of Campus Pride's Q Research Institute for Higher Education and helped author Campus Pride's landmark report, The 2010 State of Higher Education for LGBT People.
• Marisa Richmond, president of the Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition, known for her extensive work on LGB and transgender inclusion efforts at local, state and national levels.
• Kristin Russo and Dannielle Owens-Reid of EveryOneisGay.com, an advice site for those who are "confused about sexuality, gender-identity, dating, falling in love, or even dressing up like Super Woman." Kristin and Dannielle also tour high schools and colleges nationwide.

Campus Pride Executive Director Shane Windmeyer to be managed by OUTmedia with portion of proceeds reinvested back into LGBT youth services

Campus Pride and OUTmedia are broadening their efforts to bring greater awareness to and to raise necessary funds for programs that serve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students. OUTmedia, the nation’s foremost speaking agency representing LGBT and ally speakers and artists, has added to their roster Shane Windmeyer, executive director and co-founder of Campus Pride, the nation’s leading educational organization for student leaders and campus groups working to create a safer college environment for LGBT students.

As a leading advocate for LGBT issues on college campuses, Windmeyer has spoken at hundreds of colleges and universities across the country since 1997. His pioneering work has brought much-needed attention to the importance of LGBT campus safety and inclusion. Windmeyer is a best-selling national author of several books on LGBT inclusion and safety in colleges and universities, including “The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students,” released Fall 2006 by AlysonBooks, the first-ever college guide profiling the “100 Best LGBT-Friendly Campuses.”

“OUTmedia has long been an ardent supporter of our work at Campus Pride,” said Windmeyer. “It makes perfect sense that we would team up to broaden the message of LGBT safety and inclusion to more campuses with this new partnership. I am thrilled to be represented by an agency that believes in what we do and that is willing to give back to the LGBT youth with proceeds raised.”

Unlike other speaking agencies, OUTmedia is driven by mission over profit. OUTmedia is committed to working as agents of social change by creating more tolerant and accepting campus communities. Every dollar spent on programming supports and sustains community empowerment.

“OUTmedia has long been a voice for queer arts and artists on college campuses, and we work hand-in-hand with campus activists to further support Campus Pride’s mission,” said Shelly Weiss, founder and president of OUTmedia. “Windmeyer’s and Campus Pride’s presence on college campuses across the country ensure that communities will continue to be transformed at this historic juncture in LGBT equality, ignited by President Barack Obama’s support of marriage equality.”

Bookings available through OUTmedia will include a special “Scholar-in-Residence” package, enabling colleges and universities to bring Windmeyer for several days of programming, including class lectures, formal strategy sessions, trainings, institutional planning, talk-backs and more.

Campus Pride and OUTmedia have partnered on several education and activism projects since 2009, including a “Queer It Up!” awareness campaign and a “Be Queer, Buy Queer” campaign to encourage LGBT-friendly consumer habits. Additionally, OUTmedia partners annually with Campus Pride’s Voice & Action National Leadership Award, the only national honor recognizing LGBT and ally college and university student leaders. OUTmedia also sponsors Camp Pride, Campus Pride’s one-of-a-kind summer leadership development program for LGBT and ally student leaders.

For more information on Windmeyer’s available speaking dates, booking fees or other general questions, contact OUTmedia via www.outmedia.org/contact.asp, at 718-789-1776 or email info@outmedia.org. You can also visit Windmeyer's speaker bio at outmedia.org/ShaneWindmeyer.htm.

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.

OUTmedia is a leading queer cultural activist organization and social enterprise. Our mission is to increase the positive visibility of LGBTQQIA people and promote inclusive multiculturalism through the arts.To support that mission, OUTmedia has become a leading global source for LGBTQQIA and queer-affirmative national acts and celebrity talent.

Campus Pride Executive Director Shane Windmeyer published an exclusive interview with young adult leader and national LGBT ally and advocate Zach Wahls:

"I just wanted to defend my family."

Simply stated, this is why Zach Wahls stood before the Iowa House Judiciary Committee on Jan. 31, 2011 and gave his testimony about being the son of a lesbian couple. Zach had no idea that his impassioned speech about "what makes a family" would go viral on YouTube, with over 18 million views. Nor would he, as a young man at the age of 20, understand immediately the positive impact his words would have on millions of people.

As the founder and executive director of Campus Pride, I have had the pleasure working with thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and ally young adults over the last two decades. Their energy, drive, resilience, and passion are exactly what the LGBT movement needs more of right now.

I had the chance to sit down on Easter Sunday with Zach, "that kid from YouTube," as he is referred by many, to talk about his life since the viral video, the Boy Scouts, and his new book, My Two Moms: Lessons of Love, Strength, and What Makes a Family.

Read the rest of this outstanding interview at HuffingtonPost.com...

And... check out Zach's message of support for Campus Pride...

You can join Zach in supporting Campus Pride's important work today! Click here to donate!

Campus Pride Executive Director Shane Windmeyer wrote on The Huffington Post yesterday, following the passage of North Carolina's anti-LGBT constitutional amendment...

I will not give up on you, North Carolina. None of us will. Conversations have begun, and visibility is greater than ever. The progressive coalitions built by this battle against Amendment 1 will only strengthen our chances for LGBT wins in the future.

No vote will change whom I love or whom I call my family. I will still be here regardless, living my life openly and honestly. My husband and I are still your neighbors. We are still taxpayers. One day, very soon, the margin of victory will shift in the favor of equality for my family.

Together we will find justice. Love will always endure -- and prevail.

Read the full commentary at HuffingtonPost.com...

Sims brings significant expertise to growing national organization; proceeds from speaking engagements managed by Campus Pride will directly benefit LGBT youth

Campus Pride, the nation’s leading educational organization for student leaders and campus groups working to create a safer college environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students, is proud to welcome onto its board of directors Brian Sims, the newly-elected Democratic nominee for the 182nd District of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Known nationally for his outspoken work in the field of LGBT legal and social equality, Sims’ victory in the recent 182nd House Democratic will make him Pennsylvania’s first and only openly gay state legislator; Sims faces no challenger in the general election.

“I am extremely excited to join the Campus Pride Board of Directors and join in the organization’s important work of ensuring safe and inclusive college and university campuses for LGBT students,” said Sims. “I have met many LGBT students across the country and have been moved by their courage and fortitude. I am grateful to have the opportunity to help them develop the necessary leadership skills to create positive and inclusive social justice change in their schools and in their communities.”

Sims has distinguished himself as an attorney and civil rights advocate in Philadelphia and served as the staff counsel for policy and planning at the Philadelphia Bar Association. He recently stepped down as president of the Equality Pennsylvania Board of Directors and as chairman of GALLOP (Gay and Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia).

“Brian Sims brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our growing board of directors and to our national organization,” said Shane Windmeyer, Campus Pride executive director. “Brian’s experience in LGBT advocacy and in speaking out on behalf of LGBT students, particularly to athletes, fits well with our mission and commitment to LGBT students.”

In 2000, Sims, the son of two retired Army lieutenant colonels, came out to his college football team after leading them to the Division II National Championship game as their captain. He remains the only former NCAA football captain to have ever come out, and is one of the most notable collegiate athletes to do so in any sport.

In the last three years, Sims has been named one of the nation’s Top 40 LGBT Attorneys Under 40 by the National LGBT Bar Association – ABA and one of the of the Top 40 Most Influential LGBT People Under 40 by The Advocate. Sims has also been on Campus Pride’s annual “Hot List” of the best LGBT and ally educators, artists and entertainers as for college campuses.

Sims holds a Bachelors of Science degree from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania and a Juris Doctor degree in International & Comparative Law from Michigan State University College of Law.

In addition to his service on the Campus Pride Board of Directors, Sims’ speaking engagements will also be managed by Campus Pride staff. A portion of those proceeds will directly benefit Campus Pride and support its work with LGBT and ally students across the nation. Those interested in learning more about Sims’ available speaking dates, booking information and prices or other general questions can contact Campus Pride at 704-277-6710 or email info@campuspride.org.

Based in Charlotte, N.C., Campus Pride was founded in 2001. Other members of its board of directors include: Thomas Feldman, vice president and senior art director for Tyvola Design; Patrick Washburn, a North Carolina-native and employee of Food Lion; and John Witherington, a Memphis, Tenn.-native and employee since 2003 of Wells Fargo Securities; Lesley Tait, a mother of a 23-year-old gay son and website development manager of Food Lion; and Nikita Burks, former Campus Pride student and current residence life coordinator at Columbia College in Columbia, S.C.

This week, the U.S. Senate will take up debate on a measure that could prevent student loan interest rates from doubling from their current rate of 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent on July 1, 2012.

Campus Pride has worked with hundreds of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students since our founding in 2001. At every college we have visited and at every seminar or conference we have held, we meet students whose first and foremost concerns remain on their own safety and inclusion on college campuses. Students like those LGBT-identified young people we serve should be focusing on their academic career and, yet, they have taken up responsibilities for ensuring positive campus climates for themselves and their peers -- a responsibility that should belong to college and university administrators, faculty and staff.

The burdens currently carried by LGBT students are much too great. Mounting student debt and the threat of an increase in student loan interest rates -- as much as an additional $1,000 in debt over the life of their loans for each year that lawmakers do not act -- is one more stress our students cannot afford to experience.

Campus Pride urges lawmakers to consider the experiences of all students and especially LGBT students when they discuss these matters. We hope the legislative process -- on student loans, on campus safety and on other education policy matters -- will continue to guarantee that all students can put their focus where it rightly belongs: their continued academic endeavors and their future contributions as educated, successful citizens and neighbors in the United States of America.

On Saturday, May 5, 8 p.m./7 p.m. Central, MTV's Logo will premiere the new documentary, "Legalize Gay: The Civil Rights Movement of a Generation."

Campus Pride has worked closely with the documentary's filmmaker, Christopher Hines, in order to raise awareness about the film and the important topics it discusses. The film sheds new light on the continued movement for LGBT equality and justice, highlighting the courage and conviction of a new generation of activists determined to close the deal on full equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Campus Pride's annual summer leadership development program for student leaders, Camp Pride, is featured in the film, along with five student leaders from across the country, including Amy Sanders (Vanderbilt University), Mark Rivera (William Paterson University), Kelly Neufell (Bridgewater State University), Kevin Cruz (University of Rhode Island) and Karl Abad (University of Notre Dame).

Be sure to set aside time on Saturday night to catch the film's premiere or program your DVRs now! And, if you're curious to know how you can bring the film to your campus for a special showing for students, faculty, staff and your surrounding community, visit www.campuspride.org/legalizegay for all the details.

On Wednesday, May 2, Campus Pride Executive Director Shane Windmeyer presented a special online webinar discussing LGBT-inclusive college recruitment and admissions.

Campus Pride is offering you the opportunity to watch the webinar online for free. Click here to watch the approximately hour-long presentation.

About the Webinar: Gay rights pioneer Harvey Milk often touted: “We’re here to recruit you.” His comment was poking fun at the adage but yet in the same breath advocated boldly for greater LGBT visibility. Over the last few years, a growing visible population of LGBT youth have emerged for college recruitment and retention efforts. These out LGBT and ally youth want to find colleges that not only meet their academic needs but also provide a welcoming, safe, accepting environment. More and more colleges want to actively reach out to these LGBT youth and share their LGBT-friendly programs and services. Campus Pride provides an analysis of LGBT recruitment and retention trends and observations from its National LGBT-Friendly College Fair Program and its LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index . The webinar will also feature a panel of guests from some of the leading LGBT-Friendly colleges and universities across the country. Learn how your campus can recruit out LGBT students and provide retention services.

Take Action: LGBT-Inclusive Outreach Opportunities

Learn more about LGBT-inclusive outreach and recruiting opportunities for your college or university through Campus Pride's annual LGBT-Friendly College Fair Program. Running August through November, the fair will tour Charlotte, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, Dallas and New York City. Learn more and register at www.campusprideindex.org/events/.

Campus Pride’s ‘Out to Play Project” in partnership with Compete Magazine presents the top 10 “Best of the Best” athletic programs working to ensure LGBT inclusion on the field

Campus Pride, the nation’s leading educational organization for student leaders and campus groups working to create a safer college environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students, announced today the first resource of its new “Out to Play Project” (www.campuspride.org/outtoplay), which aims to begin the dialogue of LGBT safety and inclusion in college athletics and to provide the necessary research to broaden efforts to combat anti-LGBT conduct, bias and slurs in sports.

In partnership with Compete Magazine, Campus Pride’s “Out to Play List” is a compilation of the 10 “Best of the Best” LGBT-friendly athletics programs at colleges and universities across the country. The list was compiled from nominations received nationwide, with each reviewed for its LGBT-inclusion efforts, practices and policy implementation. The list is published in the magazine’s May 1 print issue and online at www.campuspride.org/outtoplay.

“For far too long, no one has known the score when it comes to LGBT-inclusion and friendliness in collegiate sports programs – that changes today,” said Shane Windmeyer, executive director of Campus Pride. “LGBT students today are more out and vocal than ever before and those who are also athletes deserve to know which schools and which athletics programs will respect them for who they are. All students deserve the assurance of safety and inclusion both in the classroom and on the field.”

The schools included in the Out to Play List include (alphabetically): Bates College, Bowdoin College, Bucknell University, Columbia University, Indiana University, Ithaca College, Kennesaw State University, New York University, Stanford University and Whitman College.

A full breakdown of the schools’ individual programs can be found in the Compete Magazine feature and online at www.campuspride.org/outtoplay.

Eric Carlyle, CEO, Compete Sports Media and Rebound Sports Media, said his company has been proud to partner with the Out to Play List’s release, noting that college sports is an important segment of the larger athletic community.

“With a mission of uniting the gay and straight communities through sports, we know that supporting a positive campus-wide attitude of diversity and inclusion is critical to achieving that mission,” Carlyle said, adding that inclusive collegiate sports programs have a “trickle-down effect” by influencing younger high school athletes, their friends and their families.

The Out to Play Project and its “best of the best” list are also being hailed by nationally-respected figures in the athletic world.

Esera Tuaolo is an openly gay, former NFL football player with the Green Bay Packers (1991–1992), Minnesota Vikings (1992–1996), Jacksonville Jaguars (1997), Atlanta Falcons (1998) and Carolina Panthers (1999). He said his time as a closeted professional athlete negatively affected his performance.

“I am extremely glad to see this effort from Campus Pride to highlight the top 10 athletic LGBT-friendly schools come to life and I strongly support it,” Tuaolo said. “I wish I had played football in an environment that supports gay players like myself, where people can freely be who they are without hiding anything, and teammates respecting that. The sky would have been the limit!”

The top 10 list is the first resource in Campus Pride’s ongoing Out to Play Project. This fall, the organization will release the most comprehensive national collegiate research report sharing the experiences of nearly 500 self-identified LGBT athletes and providing necessary resources for further progress on LGBT issues in college athletics.

More information about the Out to Play List and continuing efforts of the Out to Play Project can be found online at www.campuspride.org/outtoplay. Those interested in supporting the project and these unique national efforts can contribute at www.campuspride.org/donate.asp.

Charlotte, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, Dallas and New York slated to host LGBT-friendly college recruiting program now in its sixth year

Campus Pride, the nation’s leading educational organization for student leaders and campus groups working to create a safer college environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students, announced today the line-up for its sixth-annual National LGBT-Friendly College Fair Program (www.campusprideindex.org/events/), providing LGBT students the opportunity to learn more about LGBT-friendly colleges and universities as they embark on their collegiate academic careers.

For the first time, the college fair tour will expand into Dallas, Texas. The new Dallas event, hosted in partnership with Youth First Texas, offers increased visibility for southern schools and new opportunities for more LGBT and ally students across the South to interact with their potential alma maters. The Dallas fair, slated for Oct. 18, is the second tour stop in the South, following Campus Pride’s Charlotte, N.C., stop on Aug. 25, just one weekend before the kick-off to the Democratic National Convention to be held in there the first week in September.

Other stops in the 2011-2012 National LGBT-Friendly College Fair Program include Chicago (Oct. 6), Boston (Oct. 11), Los Angeles (Oct. 13) and New York (Nov. 2). A full list of college fair stops, locations and times can be found online at www.campusprideindex.org/events/.

The event is open to the public and free for attendees.

Colleges and universities can register to participate at the unique recruiting event for special early-bird rates of $195 (regular $250). Registration deadlines vary according to event date. Institutions that register for all six fairs by Friday, Aug. 10, receive one fair registration free, a savings of $195. Learn more and register online at www.campusprideindex.org/events/.

The Fall 2012 LGBT-Friendly National College Fair Program is hosted in tandem with the organization’s LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index (www.CampusPrideIndex.org), the nation’s premier benchmarking and assessment tool for determining LGBT safety and inclusion on college and university campuses. In addition, Campus Pride has partnered with several organizations to present the fair in each locale, including Chicago’s The Center on Halstead, Boston’s Friends of GLBT Youth, Inc., the Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Youth (BAGLY), the LA Gay & Lesbian Center’s Models of Pride and the YES Program of the New York LGBT Community Center.