SDSU Named Top School for LGBTQ Students
The Campus Pride Index ranked SDSU a Top 25 LGBTQ-friendly university.
San Diego State University continues to rank among the best universities in the nation for supporting LGBTQ students. The Campus Pride Index recently ranked SDSU on its 2017 “Best of the Best” Top 25 list of LGBTQ-friendly colleges and universities. SDSU has been included in this ranking for the past eight years.“All of the resources and programming for LGBTQ students at SDSU are inclusive and provide a sense of belonging.”
The Campus Pride Index is a tool that compares LGBTQ-friendly policies, programs and practices on college campuses. Campus Pride works alongside students, faculty, staff and administrators at more than 1,400 campuses to help support and improve the quality of campus life for LGBTQ people.
“All of the resources and programming for LGBTQ students at SDSU are inclusive and provide a sense of belonging,” said Eric Rivera, vice president for Student Affairs. “When students feel valued and welcomed, they have the capacity to grow academically and personally. SDSU’s curriculum, policies, programs and practices establish the foundation for all students to make connections and build community, which creates an affinity to the university long after graduation.”
LGBTQ resources and programs
SDSU has been expanding its resources for LGBTQ students. In 2012, the university began offering a major in LGBT studies, the second of its kind in North America. In 2016, the program received a $100,000 endowed gift from San Diegan David Gubser.Subsequently, Gubser committed an additional $100,000 to the university’s Pride Center, which opened in 2014 and provides resources and support services to assist students in their process of sexual and gender self-identity development. The goal of the center is to foster campus-wide dialogue about education, awareness, intellectual exploration, understanding and research on issues related to sexuality and gender.
Students, faculty and staff also celebrate San Diego Pride Week. On July 7, SDSU hosted its 10th annual Rainbow Flag Raising Ceremony to ring in a week of LGBTQ-friendly festivities.
Creating an LGBTQ-friendly environment
Another related program is SafeZones@SDSU. Established in 2007, SafeZones@SDSU works to ensure the campus atmosphere is welcoming, informative, educational, and safe for all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, and ally students, faculty, staff, administrators and members of the campus community.The program also stages numerous events including National Coming Out Day and the Lavender Graduation ceremony for students who openly identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or intersexed.
SDSU students can also join a number of LGBTQ-friendly student groups including the LGBT Student Union, the queer-based social sorority Gamma Rho Lambda, and Delta Lambda Phi, a national social fraternity for gay, bisexual and progressive men.
