The following is a guest post from Jeremy Billow, a student at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C. Jeremy attended the Campus Pride and Human Rights Campaign Carolinas Young Adult Leadership Summit, Feb. 24-25, where he shared news about how students in his college town were organizing to support fellow students who had been the victims of a hate crime. We're happy Jeremy gets to share that story with you today, as well.

Having now spent over half my life growing up in the South, I feel like I’ve participated in every stereotypical cliché there is: most which, oddly enough, involve sweet tea and/or pork barbecue. And while my non-local friends poke fun at me, and it’s all well and good, the one that bugs me is the idea of blind, irrational hate. The vibe I’ve always gotten from my peers was that this wasn’t a problem, but unfortunately this isn’t always the case.

On February 11, 2012, my community, Appalachian State University, was victim to an incredibly violent hate crime towards the LGBT community. Junior Erin Johnston and Sarabeth Nordstrom were harassed in public for their perceived sexual identity, followed, and ultimately brutally beaten at their own apartment. Sarabeth suffered a broken eyesocket, nasal cavity, and cheekbone and Erin received fractured ribs and torn cartilage among other things.

Thankfully, the assailant had the conscience to turn himself in soon after. Unfortunately, while there are federal level laws for hate crimes based on sexual orientation, my state of North Carolina does not. Instead, state laws only recognize hate crimes based on religion, race, color, gender, and national origin; Nowhere to be found is sexual orientation, gender expression, and gender identity.

When we the students heard this, there was a quick rally to change this. A petition was soon started to amend North Carolina’s laws to include these three categories and I watched as it started at barely a hundred signatures one Sunday afternoon to well over six hundred before the day was over. As I’m writing this I’m happy to say that the petition now has 7,400 signatures. But what makes me proud to call myself an App student was the follow through on promises for action. Our campus’ LGBT organizations, Women’s Center, and Transgender Student club were there the entire time to help Sarabeth and Erin with even the most basic needs of food, transportation, and most importantly, company.

But it didn’t stop there. Awareness grew and soon the whole campus was rallying around these two women. On Friday, March 2, an awareness and fundraising event was held Erin and Sarabeth’s honor to help pay for medical costs as well as to encourage others to sign the petition; there wasn’t an empty seat to be found.

I couldn’t help but admire their courage for speaking and recalling this event so close to when it actually happened. And then there was the simple fact that all they wanted was to change state law so that no one else would suffer like they did. The event closed with a school a capella group’s absolutely goose bump inducing rendition of “One Day” by Matisyahu and it made me think about this blog entry and how I would close it. I was asked to talk about the LGBT Community’s efforts, but the beautiful thing was that this was simply a Community effort. What started as simply an LGBT issue became a people issue, and it was people who rallied around these two: unconditionally. As an ally who sometimes struggles to explain to his friends why he does the things he does, I find comfort and strength in this. Although what happened should never be celebrated, this gathering of unconditional love will ultimately win and is bringing that One Day closer.

If you would like to sign the petition, you can find it at: http://www.change.org/petitions/amend-nc-hate-crime-laws. Also, please consider making a donation to http://www.gofundme.com/showthelove to help pay for Erin and Sarabeth’s medical costs.

The following is a press release from Equality Florida, which today called on the Florida A & M University Board of Trustees to add LGBT protections to its anti-discrimination and anti-bullying policies.

In the wake of the hazing murder of Robert Champion, a gay student at Florida A & M University, students and community leaders are calling on the university to adopt a strong anti-discrimination/bullying policy. Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith spoke to FAMU President Ammons and legal counsel for the university in advance of the meeting to call for the policy change. The administration agreed to bring the proposal to the board.

During the FAMU Board of Trustees meeting, student Ciara Taylor took to the microphone to call on the university to take action:

The tragic and senseless death of Robert Champion has resurfaced longstanding concerns about the safety of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students on FAMU's campus. A climate of hostility has grown unchecked for too long. I'm here to ask the board to demonstrate its commitment to diversity, respect and inclusion by adding "sexual orientation and gender identity" to all policies that include enumerated categories such as race, religion, ethnic origin etc… These are long overdue protections that will send a clear message that the safety of all students is paramount and that the university is a place where all are welcome to learn and excel.

Several trustees and staff members indicated support for such a change. A coalition of student, faculty and community organizations have begun working together to ensure the process of enacting essential protections moves forward with the urgency the matter deserves. The call for inclusive policies comes as the university faces intense scrutiny for the culture on campus in the wake of Mr. Champion's death. The National Black Justice Coalition is working on an initiative to get policies passed at all Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). They've also called for a federal investigation into Mr. Champion's death as a possible hate crime.

“We’re thrilled that Equality Florida is standing with the National Black Justice Coalition in our national effort to achieve justice for Robert Champion, Jr. and to advance equality for LGBT students at HBCUs. NBJC wants all HBCUs, including FAMU, to create a safe, responsible and inclusive environment for LGBT people, especially its students. We look forward to working with Equality Florida in the months ahead.” - Sharon J. Lettman-Hicks, Executive Director, National Black Justice Coalition.

"A change in policy has long been a priority of the FAMU LGBT Pride Student Union. It has been great to see the community and the campus stand together. This is an important step for FAMU that is long overdue," said Yolanda Fairell, director of Tallahassee's Inclusive LGBTQA Task Force.

Shani Angela, a local community organizer who works closely with FAMU students agrres this is an opportunity for collaboration.

"The campus and community share responsibility and leadership for building vibrant and inclusive communities. These are important first steps toward creating safety and respect for all students on campus and off campus."

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...

SIGN THE PETITION:

On November 19, 2011, Florida A&M University student Robert Champion Jr. was found unresponsive aboard a band bus after the school's biggest game of the year. Police ruled the death a homicide from hazing; furthermore, the parents of Mr. Champion, a 26-year-old drum major in the university’s famed marching band, have recently revealed that Mr. Champion was gay. The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC), the nation’s largest Black LGBT civil rights organization, is urging the U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Relations Service (CRS) and Civil Rights Division, in addition to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, to launch an immediate investigation into Mr. Champion’s death as a potential anti-gay hate crime. You can help by signing our petition.

The loss of Mr. Champion is an unfortunate reminder of the need for proactive measures that foster inclusive environments for all students, regardless of their perceived or actual sexual orientation or gender identity, and that address the severe issue of hazing at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) across the country—Florida A&M being one of the nation’s oldest and largest HBCUs.

Charlotte-based National Gay Rights Advocate Speaks Out After Horrific Rock Hill Attack

ROCK HILL -- The brutal beating of a gay man has prompted local representatives to re-introduce a hate crime bill when the state Legislature reconvenes next week, but those intentions are being met with resistance.

The measure, led by SC state Rep. John King, D-Rock Hill, was prompted by the beating of Joshua Esskew at a convience store, which was caught on the store's video tape.

King's hate crime bill, which went nowhere in the General Assembly when first introduced last year, is expected again to be met with opposition. A spokesman for Gov. Nikki Haley told a reporter from the Rock Hill Herald that the newly elected governor does not support state hate crime laws.

Shane Windmeyer,
Campus Pride Executive Director
"Individuals who believe that a crime is a crime is a crime do not understand the definition of a hate crime or the unique impact a hate crime has on an entire targeted community," says Shane Windmeyer, Executive Director of Campus Pride, a national, Charlotte-based nonprofit for student leaders and campus organizations working to create safer, more LGBT-friendly colleges and universities.