Campus Pride Voice & Action National Award recipient Jacob Tobia, a sophomore at Duke University in Durham, N.C., is a busy man. On top of his academic responsibilities, he serves as director of LGBTQ policy affairs for the Duke Student Government and has been a chief organizer of the campus' efforts to rally students against Amendment One, the anti-LGBT constitutional amendment proposed in North Carolina.

Yesterday, Tobia's activism and awareness efforts paid off as the Duke University Student Senate unanimously approved a resolution opposing Amendment One.

From Duke's student paper, The Chronicle:

The resolution­—submitted by senior Daren Miller, a senator for student life; sophomore Jacob Tobia, director of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer policy and affairs, and President Pete Schork, a senior who was absent at the meeting—affirmed DSG’s support for the LGBT community and served to represent the student body’s opposition to the amendment. The North Carolina primary election and referendum is May 8, and early voting is from April 19 to May 5.

“I am immensely proud of Duke Student Government for taking a stand for families of countless North Carolinians and for the rights of LGBT people across the state,” Tobia said in an interview. “It speaks volumes about our institution and our student body... but this is just the beginning of a long campaign to mobilize voters against the amendment.”

Be sure to click over to The Chronice and read the rest of the write-up on Tobia's resolution...

The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Eastern Missouri announced today that they have reached a settlement agreement with the Camdenton R-III School District following a judge’s order to stop using Internet filtering software that unfairly blocked pro-LGBT websites while allowing access to anti-LGBT resources.

The district agreed to a settlement in which it will stop blocking the sites, submit to monitoring for 18 months to confirm compliance and pay $125,000 in legal fees and costs. For its part, URL Blacklist – the software provider used by the district – changed its design to allow access to thousands of websites that had been blocked under its old configuration.

The original lawsuit was filed on behalf of a Camdenton High School student and LGBT organizations whose websites are blocked by the filter: PFLAG National (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), the Matthew Shepard Foundation, Campus Pride and DignityUSA, a Catholic LGBT organization. The plaintiffs were also represented by Thompson Coburn LLP.

Statement from Shane Windmeyer, Campus Pride executive director:
"Campus Pride is pleased by the Camdenton R-III School District's decision to settle this case and agree to stop filtering LGBT-related content. Finding an LGBT-friendly college and learning about valuable LGBT services on campuses should not be blocked for any reason. Every young person should have access in their schools to such online information provided by Campus Pride, especially those seeking safer, more welcoming places to learn, live and grow in their academic careers. Our online resources are essential in delivering a message of hope and support -- and in changing the lives of LGBT and ally young people. We are encouraged knowing that the rights of students in this school district will be protected."

More information about this case (which was recently featured in The New York Times) can be found at the ACLU's website.

WHAT: Believe in Youth Awareness Event with Zach Wahls
WHEN: Saturday, April 7, 2012, 5 p.m.
WHERE: Wells Fargo Auditorium at Knight Theatre, Levine Center for the Arts, 430 S. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC
COST: Free. Donations encouraged.

Click here for more information and to RSVP on Facebook...

The campaigns on Amendment One, North Carolina's anti-LGBT constitutional amendment, are heating up. On April 7, just one month before the landmark May 8 vote on the measure, Campus Pride and Time Out Youth will present their third annual “Believe in Youth Awareness Event” with national young adult leader and marriage equality advocate Zach Wahls.

The event is free and open to the public and will be held on Saturday, April 7, 2012, at 5 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Auditorium at Knight Theatre at Levine Center for the Arts, 430 S. Tryon St. Click here for more information and to RSVP on Facebook...

Zach Wahls, 20, is known as “that kid from YouTube with tow moms.” His passionate testimony before the Iowa General Assembly against a proposed anti-LGBT constitutional amendment was the number one YouTube “Political Video” of 2011. Today, Wahls continues his national advocacy by speaking in favor of marriage equality and comes to North Carolina one month prior to the statewide vote on the anti-LGBT constitutional amendment, Amendment One. His book, “My Two Moms: Lessons of Love, Strength, and What Makes a Family” (Gotham Books), is due to be released on April 26, 2012.

Though the event is free, donations are encouraged; proceeds with benefit the Charlotte-based Campus Pride, the nation’s leading nonprofit for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and ally college student leaders, and Time Out Youth, Charlotte’s local support, advocacy and education organization for LGBT youth ages 13-23.

The Coalition to Protect All N.C. Families, the referendum committee formed to oppose Amendment One, will also be on-hand to talk to supporters, register voters and encourage people to pledge to vote against the amendment.

Today, Campus Pride Executive Director Shane Windmeyer and Pennsylvania State University researcher Sue Rankin, Ph.D., an author of our 2010 "The State of Higher Education for LGBT People," are attending the annual conference of the American College Personnel Association in Louisville, Ken.

The two are presenting, "To Ask or Not to Ask: LGBT Identity Questions on National Research and College Forms."

It's a hot topic these days. Last year, the Illinois' Elmhurst College became the first American institution of higher education to include optional demographic questions on LGBT identity in its admissions application. Recently, The University of California announced it was considering similar questions on their Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) forms.

It's an important development on LGBT issues in higher education and one that Campus Pride believes will further efforts to create safer and more inclusive campuses for LGBT students.

As our executive director noted in our statement on the University of California news: "Colleges and universities are responsible for the education and safety of their LGBT students -- a school cannot provide necessary services or maintain proper safety and campus climate without first knowing who are the out LGBT students attending their school. Demographic questions asking students about their sexual orientation and gender identity will give university administrators the data they need to properly implement LGBT-inclusive policies and practices. Institutions should be held responsible for student safety, retention and academic success of every student -- the addition of identity questions finally make this possible for LGBT students."

If you're a faculty or staff member and unable to make it to the ACPA conference this week or if you're there but will miss Shane's and Sue's presentation, we hope you'll join us for our April 19 webinar on the same topic. Learn more about the webinar and others in our spring webinar series and register today.

The past few weeks have seen a flurry of attention and awareness on the visibility and safety of LGBT students at conservative, religiously-affiliated colleges and universities. Campus Pride has been keeping its eyes on several campuses and, recently, has been working with students at schools like Pepperdine University in California and the University of Notre Dame.

Students at another school, George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon, are speaking out, too. Just like Pepperdine and Notre Dame, LGBT students at George Fox are subject to policies and practices that put them at risk for continued invisibility, harassment and discrimination.

Through two groups, OneGeorgeFox and GFU Common Ground (members of the two groups pictured right at a recent meeting), students and alumni at the school have been banding together to demand change on the campus, where LGBT students are routinely encouraged to seek so-called reparative or "ex-gay" therapy. One such student, Paul Southwick, now an alumnus, shared his story with Campus Pride:

I went to George Fox from 2002-2005. I struggled to keep my attractions to men a secret and desperately wanted to be straight becasue I thought that that was the only option that God and my community would allow. In my senior year, however, I experimented sexually with a man. I immediately became depressed, scared and desperate. I could not tell anyone. It ate me up inside so badly that I had a panic attack and was hospitalized for two days. The university's response to this incident, was to encourage me to go to reparative therapy at Portland Fellowship, an "ex-gay" ministry. I went there, alone, and in secret, every Tuesday night for two years (one year as a student at George Fox and one year as a faculty member at George Fox). While I learned a lot about myself at reparative therapy, it only worsened my condition and I became more angry, isolated and suicidal. Thankfully, I survived those two years and went on to attend University of Michigan Law School, where I was allowed to openly and freely consider my sexuality and my faith. I came out while I was at law school and I have never felt more integrity and freedom than I do now.

I laid the groundwork for OneGeoregFox about two years ago when I told the administration about my experience and started having meetings with them and a couple other alums who identified as queer or as an ally. We really were not bigger than that until about a month ago, when we started to organize, tell our friends and take a more public stance on the injustices LGBTQ students are facing at Fox. One of the most beutiful moments I have had so far in this movement, is when a few weeks ago, I met with a group of 10 LGBTQA George Fox students in the Coffee Cottage (a coffee shop in Newberg near campus). We met in a small attic room of the coffee shop that is hidden away and can be reserved for small groups (the students were too scared to meet in an open, public space). I remembered the sapce from my undergrad days. So there we were, in our secret little space, affirming our identitites, building a community and planning a revolution for LGBTQ rights at George Fox for the first time in the history of the university. We laughed, we cried, we said things publicly that we were always too scared to say. And that little group of 10 grew to a group of over 50 shortly after that. And our little alumni group of three, has grown to over 200 hundred.

Paul and a student at George Fox, A.J. Mendoza, appeared with George Fox University Pastor and Director of Spiritual Life Sarah Baldwin, on a statewide radio show in Oregon last week to talk about their stories and spread the word about the work being done to make George Fox University a safer and more inclusive space for LGBT students, faculty and staff. You can click here to download and listen to the show from Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) or click here to read more about it and listen at their site.

You can also read the letter some alumni sent to George Fox University's administration and other alumni perspectives and stories at www.onegeorgefox.org.

Click here to learn more about Camp Pride, apply for scholarships and register today!

Campus Pride is excited to announce that Kara Laricks, a designer currently competing on NBC’s "Fashion Star," will appear at Camp Pride, the annual summer leadership development program for LGBT college and university students and faculty. Laricks will join the campers for the five-day event July 17-22, 2012, at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.

Laricks, an out lesbian, is one of several contestants on NBC's newest competition show, "Fashion Star." This week, her design for a plaid shift dress was purchased by Saks Fifth Avenue for $110,000.

A former fourth-grade schoolteacher, Laricks always told her students to be true to themselves. Finally, she took her own advice and pursued a career in fashion. She designs androgynous clothing for men and women, inspired by her love of menswear and an avant-garde Japanese design aesthetic. Best known for her hoodie scarves and collar-and-ties, Laricks puts a spin on what is deemed traditional women's fashion. She considers her partner Melissa to be her biggest supporter because she encouraged her to make fashion her full-time job.

Laricks is a graduate of The University of Kansas, where she served as a student senator in the school’s student government. Laricks was also a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority.

“Kara’s experience as a student leader during college, her profession as a school teacher and her talent and eye for design will serve as inspiration to the LGBT and ally student leaders at our Camp Pride,” said Shane Windmeyer, Campus Pride co-founder and executive director.

Laricks will join other nationally-respected leaders and community members at Camp Pride, including national young adult leader and marriage equality advocate Zach Wahls, who will be presented an honorary Voice & Action National Leadership Award during the summer program.

Camp Pride, Campus Pride’s Summer Leadership Program, is a one-of-kind leadership experience that brings together over 60 LGBT and allied young people from across the country for five days of student leadership development, campus organizing techniques, conflict management, social justice advocacy, diversity education and more. The summer leadership program will be featured in May in the documentary “Legalize Gay: The Civil Rights Movement of a Generation” on the national TV network Logo. Campus Pride is the nation’s leading non-profit organization for LGBT and allied college and university students.

Registration for the sixth annual Camp Pride, July 17-22, 2012, is now open. An early discounted rate of $815 is available through May 1. Scholarships for free registration are also available. The cost of registration includes educational curriculum, all program materials, accommodations for five nights and meals as well as entertainment and activities. A special “Advisor Bootcamp” track for LGBT and ally faculty advisors is also available. Students and advisors can register online or learn more about scholarship opportunities at www.campuspride.org/camppride/.

What a phenomenal three days' worth of Stop The Hate training we've had in Charlotte!

Campus Pride's East Coast Stop The Hate Trainer the Trainer program kicked off on Monday, March 19 and wrapped up just this afternoon. Twenty-three participants from nine different colleges and universities across the East Coast gathered at the LGBT Community Center of Charlotte for three full days training, brainstorming, indepth problem solving and more to help their campuses prepare for and respond to bias-motivated incidents and hate crimes on their campuses.

Of the participants, eight were student leaders on the campuses. And, four participants came from the immediately-surrounding Charlotte area.

Many thanks go out to the LGBT Community Center of Charlotte, Stop The Hate National Coordinator Greg Miraglia and the Charlotte Lesbian & Gay Fund for helping to make this training possible!

Learn more about the Stop The Hate, an educational initiative of Campus Pride at www.StopHate.org.

Campus Pride Executive Director Shane Windmeyer on LGBT-identity questions and college admissions forms at The Huffington Post today:

In order to best serve the needs of out LGBT college students, it is imperative that colleges and universities give these students the option to self-identify on the college admission form. This way the campus can take responsibility for the LGBT student experience, their academic retention, safety, and success from the beginning. For a long time, colleges have done this in regard to race/ethnicity, religion, and other optional demographics on college admission forms.

Be sure to catch Shane's entire commentary at HuffPo...

And... Don't miss out on our upcoming webinar on college admissions and LGBT inclusion on April 19. Click here to learn more about the webinar and others in our Spring 2012 Webinar Series.

NOTE: The following webinar originally slated for Wednesday, March 21, 2012, has been rescheduled for Thursday, April 26, 2012, 3 p.m. Learn more about the webinar below and register your campus today.

Take diversity to the next level and learn more about how to embrace bisexual, pansexual, fluid and questioning students in programming and practice at our upcoming April 26, 2012, webinar with national bisexual speaker, activist, writer and editor Robyn Ochs.

Click here to learn more and register your campus for $95 and be entered into a drawing to win FREE REGISTRATION for a student from your campus to attend the 2012 Camp Pride Summer Leadership Program, July 17-22, at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.

Webinar Details: Thursday, April 26, 3p.m. EST/Noon PST (50-75 minutes)
A recent Williams Institute study has shown that slightly more people self-identify as bisexual than as lesbian or gay. Yet on most campuses there are few visible out bisexual individuals, and little programming is targeted toward this population. This webinar will identify the population in question, explore reasons for bisexual invisibility, and provide ideas for passive and active programming to help campuses better serve this population.

Participants will:

• Identify the population being underserved
• Explore challenges to recognizing and serving this population
• Be given (and brainstorm) suggestions for passive and active programming and education

Guest Presenter Biography:
Robyn Ochs is a national speaker, an award-winning activist, and the editor of the 42-country anthology, Getting Bi: Voices of Bisexuals Around the World. Her writings have been published in numerous bi, women's studies, multicultural, and GLBT anthologies. Robyn has taught courses on LGBT history & politics in the United States, the politics of sexual orientation, & the experiences of those who transgress the binary categories of gay|straight, masculine|feminine, black|white &/or male | female. An advocate for the rights of people of ALL orientations and genders to live safely, openly and with full legal equality, Robyn’s work focuses on increasing awareness and understanding of complex identities, and mobilizing people to be powerful allies to one another within and across identities and social movements. Robyn serves on the faculty of Campus Pride Summer Camp. www.robynochs.com.

Other upcoming webinars...

How To Create A Safe Space Program For Your Campus Police, April 12
Learn more or register now...

AS SEEN ON YOUTUBE: “My Two Moms” or Everything I Needed to Know About Gay Marriage I Learned in Debate Class, with special guest presenter Zach Wahls, April 18
Learn more or register now...

To Ask or Not to Ask: LGBT Identity Questions on National Research and College Forms, April 19
Learn more or register now...

LGBT College Students: Use and Abuse of Alcohol and Other Drugs, April 25
Learn more or register now...

We’re Here to Recruit You: College Admissions & LGBT Students, May 2
Learn more or register now...

Update (March 20, 9:25 a.m. EDT): You can watch the White House conference today live via the White House's website starting at 9:30 a.m. EDT. Tune in here...

The White House is hosting its third LGBT Conference today at the University of Texas-Arlington. The event will feature U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. and White House Senior Advisor Valerie B. Jarrett and focus on safe schools and communities.

From Dallas Voice:

The next White House LGBT Conference will be at the University of Texas at Arlington on March 20 and will focus on safe schools and communities, according to an announcement from the White House this afternoon.

The event is the third conference in a series of several the White House launched in February. It will be hosted by the U.S. Department of Justice in partnership with UTA’s College of Liberal Arts Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice and the College of Education and Health Professions.

U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. and Valerie B. Jarrett, senior advisor to the president, will speak at the event, according to a White House release.

“The White House LGBT Conference on Safe Schools & Communities will provide advocates, community leaders, and members of the public an opportunity to engage with the Obama Administration on efforts to ensure safety and security for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in schools and communities throughout the country,” the release states.

Read Dallas Voice's full article here, and be sure to follow them (@dallasvoice) and the #WHLGBT hashtag on Twitter for live updates throughout the day.

In preparation for the event, two national organizations have released supporting material to the public.

The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) released a preview of its Safe and Supportive Schools chapter from its upcoming publication, "A Blueprint for Equality: A Federal Agenda for Transgender People." Read more about the release and download the chapter here.

Additionally, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) released an issues brief detailing the work of the Obama Administration on safe schools issues and some of the work HRC has been doing to aid in the process of creating safer schools.

Campus Pride congratulates those who will be participating in the conference today and thanks President Barack Obama and his administration for their continued efforts to raise awareness on issues important to the health and needs of the LGBT community and, in particular of LGBT young people. Healthy schools and learning environments-- from primary and secondary education to higher education -- are crucial to the well-being of LGBT youth.