A round-up of national LGBT and progressive news, including...

• Campus Pride 'Top 12' Voice & Action leader nets State Dept. internships
• UNC chancellor rejects gender-neutral housing option
• SUNY Fredonia embarks on campus climate assessment
• Survey finds college freshmen more liberal
• Georgia's oldest HBCU gets first LGBT student group
• Canada's first fraternity for gay and bi men

Campus Pride 'Top 12' Voice & Action leader nets State Dept. internship

Greensboro College student Matthew Troy has accepted an internship for the summer of 2012 with the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. While there, he plans to work with U.S. groups that advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to help those groups expand internationally.

Troy also was offered an internship in the Office of the Secretary, but he chose the Bureau internship instead because he felt that position would let him do "more substantive work on projects and less 'busy work' to accommodate the executives."

In January, Troy, a junior from Mason, Ohio, was also named one of the Top 12 Student Leaders in Action by Campus Pride. He received that honor for guiding a group of students through the process of establishing Greensboro College's Gay-Straight Alliance. That process involved seeking the approval of officials not only at the college but also in the United Methodist Church. He also worked with students at other Greensboro-area campuses on assessing conditions for LGBT students.

He also was recognized on the basis of his scholarship and general campus service. He has a 3.8 grade-point average while double-majoring in mathematics and political science, with minors in humanities, ethics, and women's and gender studies. He has served as a residence advisor; leader of the student community supervisors for Village 401, the campus's main service organization; president of the student honors organization; Executive Treasurer of Student Government; and a member of Pride Productions, the college's campus-activities board. He designed a "get connected" program in which new students at Greensboro College fill out a survey and are contacted to get involved with student organizations immediately. He also recently redesigned the Student Government Association to expand from five to 29 leadership positions, covering every aspect of the college.

A member of the men's tennis team, he represents the student body on the Board of Trustees. As the college's representative on the N.C. Campus Compact Student Advisory Board, he led a team that made a presentation at the state conference, and a 15-page guide that he developed was sent out to more than 30 student leaders in North Carolina. He also is a student ambassador and fund raiser for the national anti-hunger organization Share our Strength.

In the summer of 2011, Troy worked as an intern at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, where he redesigned a leadership course for the Chief of National Training that is now a mandatory course for all FEMA supervisors.

-- compiled from release

Read more headlines and news after the jump...

On Saturday, Feb. 11, Campus Pride Executive Director Shane Windmeyer will be a featured speaker at the Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values Central Region Conference in St. Louis, Mo., the largest of the AFLV's regional gatherings across the country.

How does your school stack up?
Visit Campus Pride's unique Campus Climate Index to search over 300 colleges' and universities' assessments on campus safety and inclusion. Learn more at campusclimateindex.org.

Shane is just one of more than a dozen speakers who will discuss leadership, teamwork, diversity, organizing, fraternity and sorority life, health and sexuality.

If you're in the area or near St. Louis and have never seen Shane's Gay Point Average™ presentation, hop on over to the AFLV's conference site to learn more and see if you can stop by.

About 'What's your Gay Point Average™?'
It is time to take the ultimate test - what's your Gay Point Average? Learning about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues does not have to be divisive or difficult on campus. In fact, college students today need to understand why having a high Gay Point Average is an important aspect of diversity and preparation for success in life - at home, the workplace, and places of worship. And, believe it or not, sometimes straight people actually have a higher Gay Point Average than a Grade Point Average... and that's okay. Shane shares in a personal way the challenges confronting LGBT youth and challenges every person to play an active role in creating safe communities where everyone can thrive.

Powerful new film, ‘Legalize Gay: The Civil Rights Movement of a Generation,’ documents stories of LGBT young adult leaders fighting for equality and change

A special hometown premiere...

Campus Pride is proud to present a special "Legalize Gay" screening in Charlotte, where the organization is proudly based. Join us for two special screenings in Charlotte:

Feb. 9, 7 p.m.
Petra’s
1919 Commonwealth Ave.
Charlotte, NC, 28205

Feb. 11, 2 p.m.
LGBT Community Center
820 Hamilton St., Suite B11
Charlotte, NC, 28206

At both screenings, local LGBT community leaders, including newly-elected Charlotte City Councilmember LaWana Mayfield, will participate in a panel discussion and Q&A following the film.

“Legalize Gay: The Civil Rights Movement of a Generation,” a documentary film set to debut in May on the national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) TV network LOGO, is currently making special, advanced screenings to LGBT and ally audiences across the country.

Campus Pride and its student and young leaders are featured in the documentary, an incredibly inspiring film that captures 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.

The film’s director, Christopher Hines, has partnered with Campus Pride to provide special preview screenings of the films, including upcoming screenings at the Midwest LGBT College Conference at Iowa State University in Aimes, Iowa, on Feb. 10, and at the Campus Pride Carolinas Young Adult Leadership Summit at the Human Rights Campaign Carolina Gala in Charlotte, N.C., on Feb. 24.

“Campus Pride is already doing so much in the struggle for LGBT equality at universities and colleges across the country. I hope ‘Legalize Gay’ can help in that effort,” Hines said. “The young people in the film are so inspiring.”

“’Legalize Gay’ is not only thought-provoking and inspirational, but very entertaining,” said Campus Pride Executive Director Shane Windmeyer.

Featured in the film is “Camp Pride,” an annual event sponsored by Campus Pride, aimed at giving a new generation of LGBT activists the skills and support they need to flourish at their universities and colleges.

“It was so much fun and impressive to film such a diverse group of young people working together for a common cause – equality,” Hines said. “I hope we can get hundreds of students attending Camp Pride every year.”

A portion of each of the preview screening booking fees will help to provide scholarships for students to attend Camp Pride, held July 17-22, 2012, in Nashville, Tenn. Students can apply for Camp Pride scholarships at www.CampusPride.org/CampPride.

Current National Screening Dates:
Sun., Jan. 29 -- Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
Thurs., Feb. 9 & Sat, Feb 11-- Community Screening, Charlotte, NC
Fri., Feb. 10 -- Midwest LGBT College Conference, Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Fri., Feb. 24 -- Carolinas LGBT College Summit, Charlotte, NC
Fri., Feb. 24 -- Western LGBT College Conference, Univ Pacific, Stockton, CA
Sat., Feb. 25 -- University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
Thurs., March 8 -- Wichita State University, Wichita, KS
Fri., March 30 -- NorthEast LGBT College Conference, Sage College, Troy, NY
Wed., April 4 -- Lock Haven University of PA, Lockhaven, PA
Tues., April 17 -- CSU Chico, Chico, CA

For more information on booking a special advance screening of the film, visit www.CampusPride.org/LegalizeGay. Advance screenings cost $500.

I often conduct trans-inclusion trainings for professionals on college campuses and was delighted to read an article today from the University of Missouri-Columbia's, Maneater Student Newspaper.

The article announced the launch of a website intended to help transgender students, staff and faculty on Mizzou's campus. The site was designed by a group on campus called the, Trans Action Team under the direction of graduate student, Garrett Hoffman. Garrett was inspired by a similar site he had come across from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte and decided his campus would also benefit from a website resource. It is designed to be a one-spot stop for information regarding general education about transgender issues, housing options, facilities (like where to find gender neutral restrooms) and current policies that affect the trans* community.

I think this is an amazing development and one I hope to see more colleges start to create. Through a site like this, students, staff and faculty can show administrators where there are successes and where there are great gaps in serving the transgender community. It can also potentially help increase an individual's sense of safety when looking at a campus and noting where there are places that accommodate gender nonconforming and transgender individuals. Through collaboration with other campus departments, I can see sites like this becoming highly-successful and useful for people on campus, and those searching for a trans-friendly college.

-Ryan Sallans
http://www.ryansallans.com

California, New York and North Carolina students are leading the way for positive, LGBT-inclusive change on their campuses and in their communities

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Students and young leaders across the country are making change, speaking out and taking the reins of leadership on their campuses and in their communities. Marco Flores, Tovah Leibowitz and Jacob Tobia, the three young adult leaders chosen as this year’s recipients of the Campus Pride Voice & Action National Leadership Award, are no exception.

In partnership with OUTmedia, the Campus Pride Voice and Action National Leadership Award is an honorary recognition highlighting the outstanding accomplishments of young adult leaders at colleges and universities across the United States. The award, the only of its kind, is bestowed upon undergraduate students who use their “voice” to speak up and take “action” to create change for LGBT and ally issues within their campuses, local communities and region of the country. The award also acknowledges the vital role nationally that young adult leaders play in the present and for the future of our movement for LGBT fairness and equality.

“The talent and commitment to the movement shown by all the applicants is the reason Campus Pride developed this national honor,” said Voice & Action Award Committee Chair Christopher Bylone. “These three students have gone above the call of duty expected of any student leader in our movement.”

Campus Pride congratulates this year’s recipients:

Marco Flores, University of California, Berkeley (‘12), is a gender and women’s studies and LGBT studies major, an undergraduate student organizer for Queer People of Color (QPoC) and a student representative for the Immigrant Students Issues Coalition.

Tovah Leibowitz, New York University (‘12), is double-majoring in gender and sexuality studies and documentary filmmaking. Tovah serves as the president of the NYU Queer Union.

Jacob Tobia, Duke University (‘14), is studying human rights advocacy and leadership. Jacob serves as director of LGBTQ policy and affairs in the Duke University Student Government.

Flores will be honored at the upcoming Western Regional LGBTQUI Conference at University of the Pacific, in Stockton, Calif., Feb. 24-26. Leibowitz and Tobia will receive their awards at the Northeast LGBT Conference at Sage Colleges in Albany, N.Y., March 30-April 1. Each of the students also receives a free artist, speaker or entertainer of their choice, courtesy OUTmedia, to appear on their college campuses in 2012.

Twenty-five applications were submitted for this year’s award review process. Twelve applicants were chosen by a panel of peers and student volunteers with Campus Pride and honored in early January as Campus Pride’s “Top 12 Leaders in Action.” Flores, Leibowtiz and Tobia were chosen from this pool of 12 outstanding LGBT student leaders.

This year’s awards committee was comprised of Chris Bylone, Campus Pride volunteer and Voice & Action Award Committee chair; Kyle Byrer of the Northeast LGBT Conference and Sage Colleges; Vincent Garcia of The Point Foundation; Anthony Villegas of the Western Regional LGBTQUI Conference and University of the Pacific; and Shelly Weiss of OUTmedia.

Visit www.CampusPride.org/voiceandaction.asp to learn more about the national awards program or email [email protected].

[Media: Interviews with award winners are available upon request. Please direct any inquiries to Christopher Bylone at 704-277-6710, ext. 5 and [email protected] or to Matt Comer at 704-277-6710, ext. 6 and [email protected].]

Tovah Leibowitz
New York University
Class of 2012
Program of Study: Double Major: Gender & Sexuality Studies and Filmmaking
Intended profession: Film Editor & Gender Sexuality Professor

“I am deeply honored, but more importantly, I feel privileged to live and work alongside the thousands of students committed to projects of social justice, community organizing, and campus activism. Students are powerful agents of change and organizations like Campus Pride and the V&A National Leadership Award continue to strengthen us by recognizing and supplementing youth action. The work I do at NYU is never just my own, but a result of the relentless collective effort of dedicated students, administrators, and professors. This award not only celebrates the work we've accomplished together, but further unites and empowers us to face the challenges still ahead." ~ Tovah Leibowitz

Marco Antonio Flores
University of California, Berkeley
Class of 2012
Program of Study: Gender & Women’s Studies, LGBT Studies
Intended profession: University Professor

“I am honored to receive the Campus Pride Voice & Action National Leadership Award. After receiving the award notification my immediate response was to contact my recommenders and share the wonderful news with them. I continue to be inspired by many community activists and scholars before me who have been able to create spaces of advocacy for social justice at UC Berkeley. Estoy lleno de alegría to receive this award and share it with those who continue to move me.” ~ Marco Antonio Flores

Jacob Tobia
Duke University
Class of 2014
Program of Study: Human Rights Advocacy and Leadership
Intended profession: International Human Rights Researcher/Advocate

"I'm ecstatic to be presented with the National Voice and Action Leadership Award. It is such an honor to be included in a long legacy of passionate LGBTQ activists who are committed to making change on their campuses. Undoubtedly, the award and the opportunity to work with OUTmedia that the award represents will help me to be a more effective activist on my campus. I'm planning on bringing an OUTmedia performer to Duke for a get-out-the-vote rally against an amendment that will define marriage as between one man and one woman in the constitution of my home state of North Carolina. Thank you Campus Pride!" ~ Jacob Tobia

Active in LGBT grassroots activism and education efforts since high school, Jacob currently serves as the director of LGBTQ policy and affairs in the Duke University Student Government. He also serves as president of Duke Students for Gender-Neutrality, is a member of the Duke LGBT Task Force and serves as outreach chair for Blue Devils United, the undergraduate LGBT student group.

Jacob has also been active organizing his campus against the impending May 8, 2012, vote on an anti-LGBT constitutional amendment that would ban recognition of marriages, civil unions, domestic partnerships and other benefits for same-sex couples and unmarried opposite-sex couples.

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...

Next Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012, you're invited to join Campus Pride Executive Director Shane Windmeyer and Campus Pride's Queer Research Institute for Higher Education scholar and 2010 State of Higher Education for LGBT People co-author Sue Rankin, associate professor in education policy studies/college student affairs at The Pennsylvania State University, for a special webinar exploring critical issues for LGBT student safety and inclusion on college campuses.

From PaperClip Communications: "This fall, Elmhurst College (IL) became the first college in the nation to ask applicants about sexual orientation. Other colleges are considering this move as well as other ways that they can create a more welcoming environment for their LGBT population on campus. While there have been strides in understanding concerns relevant to the LGBT population, it is essential that academia address the emerging issues and concerns impacting LGBT people within institutions of higher education. The Campus Pride "2010 State of Higher Education for LGBT People" revealed an alarming degree of harassment and discrimination toward LGBT people."

Learn more about the webinar and sign up...