In response to Eastern Michigan University being named one of the top gay-friendly universities in the country, its LGBT students are pleased with the university’s rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.
“I’ve always felt safe on campus,” said Jennifer Rokakis, President of Queer Unity for Eastern Students. “I also haven’t known anyone else who has been harassed or treated unfairly. I feel that EMU does a great job supporting and recognizing diversity in many different areas on campus.”
“I honestly do feel like I can just be myself on campus,” said Andre Moses, Vice President of EMU’s Fashion Avenue, Honors College Community Leader and QUEST Secretary. “When I walk around campus every day, there are people missing limbs, or wearing no shoes, or in a wheelchair, and no one seems to notice. It seems so easy to just be yourself and express who you are; no one seems to care.”
Camus Pride, the nonprofit educational foundation, seeks to improve LGBT life on college campuses and help these campuses be more gay-friendly. Three other Michigan universities named to the index included the University of Michigan, Grand Valley State University and Western Michigan University.
“The Campus Pride Index, in my opinion, is a very accurate measure of how LGBT-friendly a campus is,” Rokakis said. “The questionnaire that Campus Pride gives to universities is very in-depth, and they rate campuses on over 30 areas they feel are important to an LGBT-friendly campus.
Campus Pride is a widely respected organization, and they do a very good job of their Climate Index, among many other things. Their index includes not only inclusion of all sexual orientations, but also gender identity/expression, which is very important, and all too often left out of other surveys. I am very proud of Eastern’s index rating.”
Where EMU shines on the Campus Pride Index is through its programming with the LGBT Resource Center. The LGBTRC provides support services such as “coming out, being out” support groups, as well as educational and social programming and events ranging from OUTober to Pride Prom. The LGBTRC also gives their community a sense of belonging and acceptance.
“I think the LGBTRC and QUEST programs provide a sort of a safe haven for students who found it hard to attend these type of events before college started,” said Moses. “I love seeing freshman come in, finally able to attend these events that they always wanted to but didn’t have the freedom to at home or school. My favorite event is Pride Prom. Seeing allies come there and having fun, too, is amazing to me.”
“The LGBTRC and QUEST both provide very informative, yet fun events that help promote diversity and acceptance on campus,” Rokakis said. “The LGBTRC’s Safe Space/Ally Training program helps students to gain a better understanding of acceptable terminology, as well as how to be an ally to LGBT individuals. QUEST puts on a mix of social, educational, and activism events that try to reach out to as many people in the LGBT community as possible. QUEST has brought in speakers about
LGBT-friendly candidates, self-defense, and many other things as well as providing fun events such as speed-friending.”
Being recognized as a top gay-friendly university is “significant and meaningful for our campus community” according to Bernice Lindke, vice president for student affairs and enrollment management in a press release from Geoff Larcom. “We have a welcoming and caring environment for all of our students, and this high rating acknowledges that.”
While EMU can be proud of this recognition, what else can EMU do to be a better example of a campus that embraces the LGBT community?
LGBTQ LGBTRC“I think universities should start making being LGBTQ ‘not a big deal,’” Moses said. “One thing I still sometimes struggle with is trying to explain to the world why being gay is not this negative shadow that it used to be back then, and that honestly, more people are becoming accepting, or at least tolerant, of it. I think some students want to just be a part of an LGBTQ community that doesn’t focus on the negativity of being LGBTQ, but focuses on having fun and being human.”
