The following is a guest blog from student Lindsay Jakows, co-president of Reach OUT, a student effort at the Churches of Christ-affiliated Pepperdine University. Campus Pride has been keeping up with Pepperdine students' efforts. Our executive director, Shane Windmeyer, recently wrote about Pepperdine and Notre Dame at the Huffington Post . We’re glad to be able to support Pepperdine and Notre Dame students in their efforts to make their campus safer and more inclusive for LGBT students.

Pepperdine Reach OUT co-presidents Lindsay Jakows and Alexander Cooper.

Pepperdine Univeristy President Andrew K. Benton making a statement about Reach OUT's denial at his Feb. 1, 2012, briefing with faculty and staff.

I couldn’t be more excited to be leading Reach OUT’s campaign for recognition at Pepperdine University. After years of negotiating with administrators, Reach OUT, an unrecognized group of LGBT students and allies launched a change.org petition in January appealing the Dec. 13, 2011, denial of our request to become officially recognized with the university.

This movement is hardly new, but has only recently organized into action after being denied. To date, four LGBT groups at Pepperdine have either been rejected or seriously discouraged from applying, including “Students Against Homophobia” in 2004 and GLEE (Gays, Lesbians, and Everyone Else) in 2007. Reach OUT organized itself in the fall of 2010 from a previous Facebook page called “OUT.”

The biggest challenge to receiving recognition has been the university’s discomfort with anything less than a total condemnation of same-sex sexual activity. In order to address the administration’s concerns, Reach OUT added a clause in its constitution saying that it does not endorse same-sex sexual activity. However, this was not enough — the administration demanded an explicit condemnation. Reach OUT has made its case loud and clear that it should be able to hold a neutral position on same-sex sexual activity without forcing the university to endorse its decision. Other schools, like Loyola Marymount University, “disassociated” all clubs from the official viewpoint of the administration, allowing its LGBT club to be recognized. Furthermore, Pepperdine is inconsistent when it allows multiple political clubs with differing viewpoints to exist, and when the student newspaper includes a disclaimer that allows for differing viewpoints.

Another response our group has received from some students is a “like it or leave it” argument that seems to say that we should accept the university’s decision because we came here understanding that it was a conservative Christian school. This argument makes little sense when I had no options other than conservative Christian universities because of family pressures, and some students in our group weren’t even aware they were gay until college. By that illogic, no one should ever work to improve policies of an organization they chose to associate with.

Read the rest of Lindsay's commentary after the jump...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 15, 2012

CONTACT:
Robyn Shepherd, ACLU national, (212) 519-7829 or 549-2666; [email protected]
Debbie Read and Anthony Rothert, ACLU of Eastern Missouri, (314) 669-3420; [email protected]

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A federal district court ruled today that the Camdenton R-III School District must stop censoring web content geared toward the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities through discriminatory filtering software. The ruling orders the district to not block content based on the viewpoints expressed by the website.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Eastern Missouri filed a lawsuit against the district in August 2011 after repeated warnings that its custom-built filtering software discriminates against LGBT content. The filter has a category that blocks LGBT-supportive information, including hundreds of websites that are not sexually explicit in any way. The filter does, however, allow students to view anti-LGBT sites that condemn homosexuality or opposed legal protections for LGBT people.

The 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.

“The court correctly recognized the constitutional rights of all students to viewpoint-neutral access to information,” said Joshua Block, staff attorney with the ACLU LGBT Project. “It is absolutely possible to protect children from sexually explicit content while also protecting their First Amendment rights. Like thousands of other school districts across the country, Camdenton R-III will now begin using a filtering system that blocks pornography without discriminating against LGBT-related content.”

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri said that the district’s filtering system “systematically allows access to websites expressing a negative viewpoint toward LGBT individuals by categorizing them as ‘religion,’ but filters out positive viewpoints toward LGBT issues by categorizing them as ‘sexuality.’” Although the district argued that it would unblock individual websites upon request the court held that “students may be deterred from accessing websites expressing a positive view toward LGBT individuals either by the inconvenience of having to wait twenty-four hours for access or by the stigma of knowing that viewpoint has been singled out as less worthy by the school district and the community.”

The court also concluded that other filtering systems are available that “are much more effective” at filtering out pornography “and do so without burdening websites that express a positive viewpoint toward LGBT individuals.”

“The filtering system that had been installed at Camdenton R-III was arbitrary, ineffective and discriminatory,” said Anthony Rothert, legal director of the ACLU of Eastern Missouri. “Today’s ruling affirms that students will be free to search for resources for their gay-straight alliance, seek support against bullying and research history as it pertains to LGBT people, just as they would for any other subject.”

More about this case can be found at: www.aclu.org/lgbt-rights/pflag-v-camdenton-r-iii-school-district.

Campus Pride Spring 2012 Webinar Series offers progressive ideas and solutions to the LGBTQ-inclusive challenges and opportunities facing your campus and community

Campus Pride is excited to announce our Spring 2012 Webinar Series! Presented in partnership with CampusSpeak, the webinar series aims to develop necessary resources, programs and services to support LGBT and ally students on college campuses across the United States.

There's lots of great things in store this season, as we discuss:

• Strategic planning for LGBTQ inclusion in higher education
• Policies and practices to embrace bisexual, pansexual, fluid and questioning students
• Creating a safe space program for your campus police department
• The national debate on marriage equality, with special guest presenter Zach Wahls
• How to ask, or if to ask, about sexual and gender identity on research and college application forms
• Alcohol and drug use and abuse among LGBTQ students
• College admissions and LGBTQ students

Each webinar lasts approximately 50-75 minutes and costs just $95 per site -- as many students, faculty or staff as you would like can join in on the webinar. Plus... When you register for any webinar, your college/university has a chance to win a FREE REGISTRATION ($895 value) for a student to attend the 2012 Campus Pride Summer Leadership Camp in July.

Learn more about each of our webinar programs this spring after the jump...

Campus Pride is excited to partner with the It Gets Better Project in promoting gay columnist and project founder Dan Savage's It Gets Better college tour across the U.S.

One of the most important things Campus Pride has learned in our more than 10 years of work with LGBTQ and ally college and university students is that life for queer youth doesn't just get better once they leave high school and go to college. Young people across the U.S. are taking the It Gets Better message to heart and are taking a stand on their campuses each and every day to create a better world for themselves, their peers, their communities and for future generations. Many high school students just beginning their higher education are choosing to attend colleges and universities that actively include and support LGBT students, by utilizing resources like Campus Pride's Campus Climate Index.

We're proud that Dan will be embarking on his college tour and reaching out to LGBTQ and ally young people in higher education, as well as other venues. Many of the issues faced by LGBT students in high school are also faced by those in college, whether it's continued social or religious pressure from parents or harassment and discrimination from fellow students or college officials. And, contrary to popular belief, not all colleges are LGBT-friendly. For example, did you know (from our 2010 State of Higher Education for LGBT People):

• Less than seven percent of accredited U.S. colleges and universities offer institutional support to LGBTQ and ally students, such as safe space/ally programming, LGBTQ faculty advisors or staff and LGBTQ student centers or facilities?
• Only 13 percent of colleges and universities include sexual identity policy protections?
• Just six percent of colleges and universities include gender identity and expression protections?

The inspiration Dan Savage brings to college and university campuses he will visit -- including those he's already visited, such as the College of William and Mary and the University of North Texas -- will uplift students who are still in the closet, empower those who are seeking positive change and help to shape more inclusive campus environments -- proving, indeed, that it does get better!

It Gets Better Tour Dates

2/16/12 Canisius College - Buffalo, NY
2/29/12 Clairemont McKenna College - Clairemont, CA
3/2/12 National Assn. of Independent Schools - Seattle, WA
3/6/12 University of Kentucky - Lexington, KY
3/7/12 Butler University - Indianapolis, IN
3/10/12 American Civil Liberties Union - Portland, OR
3/19/12 University of Pennsylvania - Philadelphia, PA
3/20/12 American University - Washington D.C.
3/21/12 Lynn University - Boca Raton, FL
3/22/12 University of Western Ontario - Ontario, CANADA
4/13/12 National HS Journalism Convention - Seattle, WA
4/17/12 Bryant University - Smithfield, RI
4/18/12 Bowling Green University - Bowling Green, OH
4/19/12 Univ. of Vermont - Burlington, VT
4/20/12 Washington Library Association - Edmonds, WA
4/29/12 Elmhurst College - Elmhurst, IL
4/30/12 University of the Ozarks - Clarksville, AK
6/23/12 American School Counselor Assn. Annual Meeting / Minneapolis, MN
7/12/12 University Church of Christ - Cleveland, OH
11/3/12 U.C. Berkeley - Berkeley, CA

In addition to Savage's It Gets Better Tour, MTV and Logo have partnered to present the It Gets Better TV special featuring three young people and their stories. The special will air on both TV networks next Tuesday, Feb. 21, 11 p.m. Eastern. See the trailer below...

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."

Many thanks are in order to so many fabulous people who made Campus Pride's special, preview screenings of the new documentary by Christopher Hines, "Legalize Gay: The Civil Rights Movement of a Generation," possible last week and over the weekend.

(Photo right: Community members participate in an after-film Q&A and panel discussion at Petra's, where Race to the Ballot was also present to film as they move across North Carolina in their quest to defeat the state's anti-LGBT state constitutional amendment.)

First and foremost, thank you to our sponsors, who gave generously to ensure the film could be screened at Petra's and the LGBT Community Center of Charlotte. Thank you to the GayCharlotte Film Festival and Series, Charlotte Lesbian & Gay Fund, Robert Dogens, Prism Properties, Mike Hemlepp, Human Rights Campaign, Time Out Youth, Pocket Rocket Charlotte, VisitGayCharlotte.com and Takeover Friday.

A big hug, smile and thank you is also owed to Charlotte City Councilmember LaWana Mayfield, our fabulous host for the after-film Q&A and panel discussion at both screenings.

Last but not least, we want to thank all of the panelists who came out to share their thoughts, knowledge and experience, including UNC Charlotte senior Paul Willoughby, recent Winthrop University graduate Alyssa Kibiloski, MeckPAC's Scott Bishop, Carolina Trans Society's Lacy Beatty, Human Rights Campaign's Robert Dogens and Dan Mauney, Time Out Youth's Rodney Tucker, Jen Jones of Equality NC/Race to the Ballot and Campus Pride's Shane Windmeyer and Matt Comer.

On Friday, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) reached out to officials at Vanderbilt University after a University of Kentucky sports blog brought attention to anti-gay T-shirts allegedly being sold by Vanderbilt students.

The T-shirts, which said "UK2Gay" in reference to Kentucky's 2,000 basketball game victories, were on sale at CafePress.com. The storefront has since been taken down.

University officials have said the T-shirts were an apparent hoax and, according to GLAAD, there was no "evidence of a broad campaign among students to wear these shirts to Saturday's game."

Campus Pride commends GLAAD for their quick action in reaching out to Vanderbilt officials on Friday.

We also commend Vanderbilt for their quick response, as we know the school to be among some of our most LGBT-friendly colleges and universities. Campus Pride has a long relationship with Vanderbilt University, where we have hosted past Camp Pride Summer LGBT and Ally Leadership Programs. We will host Camp Pride there again this year in July.

Vanderbilt has also participated in our LGBT-Friendly College Fairs and volunteered to take our free assessment, the Campus Pride Index, on LGBT campus inclusion and safety. According to the assessment, Vanderbilt received four out of five stars for their work in LGBT Policy Inclusion (4.5/5), LGBT Support & Institutional Commitment (5/5), LGBT Academic Life (4.5/5), LGBT Student Life (5/5), LGBT Housing & Residence Life (3/5), LGBT Campus Safety (1/5), LGBT Counseling & Health (5/5) and LGBT Recruitment and Retention Efforts (4.5/5).

Campus Pride, the leading national nonprofit for LGBT and ally college students, is disappointed in the decision by administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in its failure to meet the safety needs of its LGBT student population by creating a gender neutral housing option, as reported by the university's student newspaper, The Daily Tar Heel, last week. Colleges and universities first priority is the safety and learning of its students, not the stakeholders. In 2010, Campus Pride released the most comprehensive national study to date titled "The State of Higher Education for LGBT People." This national study reported that nearly a quarter of LGB people on campus encounter harassment. This percentage is even more alarming for transgender students and LGB students of color.

Campus Pride supports the UNC LGBT student community and asks for this proposal to be reconsidered within the year -- because it is the right thing to do for LGBT student safety and all students on campus. Please go online and view nationally what other leading LGBT-friendly colleges are doing to create safe learning environments with our Campus Pride LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index (www.CampusPrideIndex.org). The Index is the premiere national benchmarking tool to help colleges become more LGBT-friendly in their policies, programs and practices. UNC Chapel Hill has not participated in the Index, which is free. Campus Pride encourages UNC to take the national research assessment tool to better understand the ways to create safer, more welcoming LGBT-friendly campus climates.

Campus Pride applauds the position taken by the student editorial board of The Daily Tar Heel and thanks them for their outspokenness on behalf of LGBT students at their university.

It's a Saturday. Some of you aren't even out of bed, yet. When you wake up, we'll be here, there and everywhere.

Campus Pride is excited to be at the Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference (MBLGTACC) at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, today. We've got our resource table set up to answer all your questions about student involvement and leadership development. Be sure to stop by. Oh, and on Saturday afternoon, we're presenting a special preview screening of "Legalize Gay: The Civil Rights Movement of a Generation," the new documentary on young LGBT leaders by director Christopher Hines. The film is set to debut in May on the national LGBT TV network Logo, but you can catch it at Iowa State today for free!

Speaking of "Legalize Gay," we're hosting our encore Charlotte screening today, as well. It was so exciting to see such a great turnout (nearly 100 people!) for our Thursday evening screening right here in Campus Pride's own hometown. Today, Charlotte-area LGBT youth services group Time Out Youth will join us at the LGBT Community Center of Charlotte. More details and directions to the Center: gaycharlotte.com/index.php/news-gallery/38-legalize-gay.html.

Our executive director, Shane Windmeyer, is also on the road today. He'll be keynoting this evening at the midwest conference for the Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values. More info on his event tonight from one of our past posts...

Personal reconciliation turns to action for two young leaders in Charlotte, N.C.

Paul Willoughby, a senior at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte (UNCC), remembers well the hardships cast upon him and his family when his twin brother came out of the closet.

"That was the worst time in my life, for real," Willoughby says of the summer between his junior and senior years in high school.

Unbeknownst to all but him, he, too, was gay -- a revelation he dared not disclose in the face of his parents' conservative, religious leanings and their treatment of his brother.

"My parents said a lot of mean things, calling [my brother] names they shouldn't be calling him," Willoughby recalls. "It was hard to see how my parents reacted to him coming out -- they even tried to send him to therapy to try to change him. Here I am -- I'm gay, too -- and I didn't know what to do. I was terrified that they would find out."

Now 21 years old, Willoughby is a member of the UNCC men's soccer team. Just last fall, he came out to friends on campus and to friends on his sports team.

Read the rest of this article after the jump...