SDSU Named Top College for LGBTQ Students
SDSU placed No. 12 on the list, with a five-star ranking.
The rankings combine BestColleges' academic and affordability data along with the Campus Pride Index score, which is a comprehensive national rating system that measures LGBTQ-friendly campus life based upon eight different LGBTQ-friendly factors such as LGBTQ campus safety and LGBTQ counseling and health.
The five-star listing also includes reference to SDSU’s Pride Center noting the university has “made great strides since it opened in 2014, creating and supporting and affirming campus environment for LGBTQ+ students (and) provides an array of services and resources that address the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, and ally communities.”
The university’s offering of gender-inclusive on-campus housing, that enables students to select a roommate regardless of gender identity, is also noted in the school’s ranking summary.
SDSU is also home to SafeZones@SDSU. Established in 2007, the initiative 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.
“It is an honor to have SDSU listed among other top institutions by Campus Pride and BestColleges,” said Anne Guanciale, assistant director of equity and inclusion for the Pride Center. “Many campus initiatives, such as the creation of SafeZones and the establishment of The Pride Center, began with a small collective of people who took action to uplift the voices of LGBTQ+ communities while promoting a welcoming campus environment.”
SDSU has a long-standing dedication to diversity and inclusion. The university was the second in the United States and the first in California to offer a major in LGBT studies.
In July 2018, during the university’s annual Pride Flag Raising Ceremony, Robert DeKoven, a former Associated Students president at SDSU in the late 1970s, announced a planned $1 million gift to support SDSU’s Pride Center and LGBT Studies Program.
“We would not be where we are today without student leaders, faculty, staff, alumni, and community supporters who continually show up for LGBTQ+ students and issues. Our team will take a moment to celebrate, while knowing we still have much work to do to ensure the safety, inclusion and care of the most marginalized members of our LGBTQ+ campus community,” said Guanciale.
