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.

In September, Campus Pride Blog chronicled the efforts of LGBTQI and straight ally student leaders at the University of Rhode Island in their quest to ensure safer and more welcoming learning, living and working environments on campus.

In response to several anti-LGBTQI incidents on campus and lackisdaisical response by university administrators, several students began a 24-hour sit-in in the student union. The protest lasted for two weeks, until students received many of the requests they'd made of URI administration.

Last week, URI administrators made good on another student request; URI has hired its first-ever associate vice chancellor for community, equity and diversity.

According to The Providence Journal, Kelly Friedman, the former executive director of diversity and equity at the University of Vermont, began work in the associate vice president position last week.

Friedman will report directly to URI President David Dooley and will supervise the Women’s Center; Multicultural Center; Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Transgender Center; the Bias Incident Response Team; and the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity.

Read up on the history of URI's LGBTQI student protest...

The year is coming to a close, and with it we have time to reflect upon this year's wonderful successes, growth and achievements for Campus Pride.

Summer Leadership Camp
This year, college students, faculty and staff gathered at Vanderbilt University for summer camp like none other. Our phenomenal and inspiring staff led great workshops, sessions and trainings. We can hardly wait until 2011's camp.

The 2010 State of Higher Education for LGBT People
This year's most exciting happening was Campus Pride's release of its landmark 2010 State of Higher Education for LGBT People. Months of research and work culminated in a national release that brought much-needed attention to the need for safer and more welcoming learning, living and working environments for LGBT college and university students, faculty and staff.

The report, released in September at a special Capitol Hill briefing in Washington, D.C., is the first and only of its kind. Our hope is that it will be used to inform and inspire change on college campuses around the world.

Responding to tragedy
As Campus Pride was releasing its 2010 State of Higher Education report, we were saddened to learn of the tragic series of gay teen suicides by high school and college students around the country. More than half a dozen young gay men and lesbian women took their lives this fall. Campus Pride responded quickly and thoroughly, attempting to bring attention to the plight of LGBT high school and college students. With our report, our Stop the Hate trainings, college fairs and other work, we hope LGBT teens will one day be granted and ensured the right to go to school, learn and grow in safe and inclusive environments.

Supporting student leaders
Several times this year, Campus Pride had the unique opportunity to support LGBT and straight ally student leaders on campuses across the country. In particular, we are especially proud of LGBT and straight ally student leaders at the University of Rhode Island. Their action this fall to raise awareness of campus climate and inclusion issues was received well by students on their campus and members of the surrounding community. We're happy the students' efforts have been met with some positive responses from the university's administration.

LGBT-Friendly College Fairs
Last but not least... We can't forget this year's series of LGBT-Friendly College Fairs. We particularly proud of this years' college fair events, as we expanded the program to first-ever and one-of-a-kind events in the Southeast and Pacific Northwest. Both the Charlotte, N.C., and Portland, Ore., fairs drew phenomenal student and parent participation. Fairs in Boston, New York City and Los Angeles were equally as successful.

Thanks
This year's magnificent work wouldn't have been possible without the generous support of young people and students, parents, teachers, college faculty and staff, and, of course, our grant funders, donors and sponsors like AFFA, Cargill, Gamma Mu Foundation, OUTmedia and Food Lion, among others.

Campus Pride has been following student protesting and organizing on the issue of LGBT campus safety at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, R.I.

The protest led this week to university administrators meeting one of the many demands made by students.

Today, the student newspaper, The Good 5 Cent Cigar, issued a wonderful staff editorial, writing in part:

There is no reason that any student should need escorted protection on campus. There is no reason why anyone should have obscenities yelled at him while walking to class. There is no reason that any student should be made to feel that any aspect of their background, lifestyle or being is wrong.
Whether one agrees with the monetary goals of the GLBT protest is irrelevant, because their rightful cause for complaint goes beyond asking for a new building or an increase in staff. These students are asking for a basic level of respect and consideration that is being denied to them every day on this campus.
As a student body, we need to take a closer look at our own attitudes toward one another. That a group of students feels so disrespected that they find it necessary to make a very public protest in order to have their voice heard shows a disturbing lack of openness and consideration among the student body. That some have responded to the GLBT group's complaints with hateful rhetoric and vandalism further goes to show that students aren't listening.

Read the rest of the editorial board's sentiments, and check out Campus Pride's past coverage of the URI student protests.

On Monday, student protesters at the University of Rhode Island sent this update:

September 27, 2010 – The University administration has agreed to reinstate the two faculty members that had been unjustly reorganized out of their previous meeting positions. Despite this victory, the President still refuses to make room for the students to meet with him and address the other issues. The next workable meeting is not until Thursday morning. The students are still going to stay in the 24-hour room until all of their demands are completely met, regardless of when the administration will find the time to deal with the issues of campus climate and safety.

See Campus Pride's past coverage of the LGBT student protest at URI...

Another update from the University of Rhode Island in Campus Pride's continuing coverage of the student initiative is below. You can read past protest updates here: http://campusprideblog.org/category/tags/university-rhode-island

Protest Leader Verbally Assaulted
September 24, 2010 – University of Rhode Island – Today the student leader of the LGBT Protest on campus was verbally assaulted on his way to class. When Brian Stack heard a student behind him yell that someone's backpack was "faggy" he shouted back that the student should not use that language. The offending student then yelled “fuck you faggot” at Stack. When Stack asked the student to identify himself he did not, and no one in the area was willing to identify the harassing student.. Attacks like this have been recurring since the protest began and are examples of the daily experience for LGBT students at URI.

Campus Pride has been following a student protest on LGBT campus safety at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, R.I. (Photo right: URI junior Brian Stack, president of the campus' Gay-Straight Alliance, is helping to organize the protest. Source: Providence Journal.)

Statement from LGBT student organizers, Sept. 23, 8 p.m.:
The University of Rhode Island administration has refused to take a stance on any of the demands. In response to the University's lack of commitment to solving these issues, the GLBT students and their allies continue the protest. The students feel that if President Dooley had a strong commitment to solving these issues he would have flown back from California as other presidents have done during previous protests. The students remain resilient in their determination to address the issues of campus safety and climate.

Statement from URI administration
The Providence Journal reported on Sept. 24, 2010 that university administration had "responded" to the LGBT student protest. That response was contained in a two-page statement dated Sept. 24 with comments from President David Dooley and Donald DeHayes, provost and vice president of academic affairs. Download and read the statement (PDF) here.

See Campus Pride's statement in support of the students, and other Campus Pride coverage of the protest.

News round-up

Students protest to stop hate against LGBTIQQ students
by Noelle Myers, Sept. 24, 2010, The Good 5 Cent Cigar, University of Rhode Island
University of Rhode Island students filled the library's 24-hour room as of midnight Wednesday night to protest against harassment and discrimination toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students. Read the rest...

Protest held at URI over harassment of gay students
By Donita Naylor, Sept. 24, 2010, The Providence Journal
University of Rhode Island officials have responded to a student sit-in at the library by acknowledging that gay and lesbian students have endured discrimination. Read the rest...

GBLT students stage sit-in at URI library
NBC 10 WJAR, Providence New Bedford

Read more from NBC 10

Yesterday and this morning, Campus Pride Blog has been covering the LGBT student protest at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, R.I. Campus Pride has also given our statement of support.

Student organizer Brian Stack sends us the following breaking news:
At 12:01am Thursday September 23, 2010 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students began a peaceful sit-in at the University of Rhode Island Library¹s 24-hour room. Despite support from the students, the URI Administration has encouraged the URI press to not cover the protest. The students at the protest remain firm in their belief that the University Administration needs to address the issues of harassment and discrimination that have led to the unsafe environment on campus.

For more information about the protest please contact Brian Stack, 413-949-6227, bstackuri@gmail.com.

UPDATE (Sept. 23, 1:45 p.m.): EDGE reporter Michael K. Lavers filed a story this afternoon, and spoke to a University of Rhode Island spokesperson regarding the alleged media block.

According to EDGE:

URI spokesperson Linda Acciardo told EDGE neither she or anyone else in her office was aware the sit-in was going to take place when they spoke to a local television station late on Wednesday, Sept. 22. She denied university administrators discouraged coverage of the protest.

"This is a public university, a public campus and [this is] a dialogue we expect to be in the public domain," said Acciardo.

Read the rest of that story here...

Students at the University of Rhode Island have been protesting anti-LGBT campus climate since 12:01 a.m. this morning. Earlier, we posted a press release from the group and Campus Pride's statement of support. The students have sent us some photos from their peaceful protest.

Students stand outside the University Library prior to entering the 24-hour room for their protest

LGBT Student Protest Underway: Campus Pride supports student efforts to increase LGBT safety at University of Rhode Island

Campus Pride cites protest as real life example of findings in the "2010 State of Higher Education for LGBT People" to be released today at U.S. congressional briefing on Capitol Hill

(Washington, D.C. -- Thursday, Sept. 23, 2010) Tonight at 12:01 a.m., University of Rhode Island students began protesting college administrators by engaging in a peaceful, direct action to call attention to the unsafe environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students, faculty and staff on the campus. Read the official press release online at www.CampusPrideBlog.org.

Campus Pride, the nation’s largest non-profit organization working with LGBT and ally college and university students, offers its unwavering support of students’ right to expect safe, welcoming and inclusive learning and campus environments at their institutions of higher education.

“Students, faculty and staff at the University of Rhode Island have every right to demand their university administration fulfill its duties in ensuring safe climates for campus learning, living and working,” said Shane Windmeyer, executive director and founder of Campus Pride. “We stand with University of Rhode Island students, faculty and staff in requesting administrators respond to needs on campus and act decisively to curb anti-LGBT bias incidents, acts of violence.”