Campus Pride releases list of most Queer-friendly colleges and universities in the US
In August, Campus Pride, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating safer campus environments for the Queer community, released its list of the most Queer-friendly colleges and universities in the US.

The list, "2023 Best of the Best LGBTQ+-Friendly Campuses," names 30 institutions that Campus Pride identifies as exemplary in their service to and inclusion of Queer students. The annual online list ranks institutions of higher education based on their performance on benchmarks in policies, programs, and practices, and the top 30 earned five-star rankings (90%+) on its online Campus Pride Index.

The Campus Pride Index is a publicly searchable database of 240+ institutions of higher learning that assesses each campus on metrics relevant to Queer safety and inclusion.

San Diego State University, the University of Southern Oregon, and the University of Colorado at Boulder were the three institutions named in the West region. Though it was not on the "Best of the Best" list, the University of Washington holds a five-star rating on the Campus Pride Index.

Following highly visible tensions related to its anti-Queer employment policies, Seattle Pacific University carries the distinction of being on Campus Pride's 2022 "Worst of the Worst" list.

Campus Pride has compiled and released its lists for 17 years. "LGBTQ youth and families want to know what campuses are doing when it comes to inclusive policies, programs, and practices," said Shane Windmeyer, executive director of Campus Pride and creator of the Campus Pride Index. "The 'Best of the Best' highlights the Top 30 this year across various regions throughout the country. Campus Pride applauds the growing number of campuses that are 'coming out' and wanting to be the 'Best of the Best' each year."

The "Best of the Best'' list this year notably excludes campuses in Texas and Florida. On its site, Campus Pride writes, "Due to the recent passage of state laws in Florida and Texas that effectively ban LGBTQ+-inclusive policies, programs, and practices on college and university campuses, this year Campus Pride has decided to exclude Florida and Texas campuses from the 2023 Best of the Best LGBTQ-Friendly list." This exclusion comes in light of reports of Queer student centers being shuttered in all public colleges and universities in Texas and Florida as diversity, equity, and inclusion programs have been impeded by recently enacted legislation.

According to the Campus Pride Index, however, both of these states contain bright spots among their institutions of higher learning, such as five-star holders University of North Florida and the University of Texas at both Arlington and Dallas.

Regardless of the rankings of any individual institution, Campus Pride urges students and their families to be proactive in selecting their campus environment. The site reads, "Campus Pride encourages prospective students and families to research current state laws for any college or university being considered."

HRC report shows anti-Queer laws taking toll on mental health
The spate of anti-Queer legislation across the US has taken a toll on the mental health of Queer people across the country, according to a report published by the Human Rights Campaign.

Released August 17, "Impact of Gender-Affirming Care Bans on LGBTQ+ Adults," which surveyed over 14,000 Queer adults in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, concludes its analysis with troubling findings:
• 4 in 10 Queer adults (42.9%) report that gender-affirming care bans adversely impact either their own sense of physical or mental health, or that of a loved one;
• 8 in 10 Transgender and Nonbinary adults (80.1%) report the same;
• 8 in 10 Queer adults (79.1%) report that such bans make them feel less safe; the number for Transgender and Nonbinary adults was over 9 in 10 (94%); and
• 8 in 10 Queer adults (80.5%) report that gender-affirming care bans worsen harmful stereotypes, discrimination, hate, and stigma against the Queer community, with 9 in 10 Transgender and Nonbinary adults (89.7%) reporting the same.

In the wake of more than 500 bills introduced in 43 states, most of which focused on restricting the rights of Transgender youth, the report points to the lived reality of Queer people and demonstrates that the bills being advanced hurt Queer people of all types. Calling the results "striking," the report explains that "these bans are impacting the health and well-being of LGBTQ+ adults, and are driving people and families to make difficult choices over where to live, work, travel, and spend their money."

The report comes out just two months after the HRC issued a "national state of emergency" for Queer people in the US. In a press release, HRC President Kelley Robinson wrote, "This survey reveals that the current climate of hostility and fear is only growing worse, and that gender-affirming care bans are taking a detrimental toll on the physical and mental health of LGBTQ+ Americans."

These impacts are not due simply to the policy outcomes of these bills, which are steep in themselves, but also the hate and stigma that they engender. Pointing to "misinformation" and "fearmongering" employed by "extremist, anti-LGBTQ politicians and their allies'' who push these bills, Robinson warned that "[this] rhetoric and misinformation is having a virtually universal impact on LGBTQ+ people, and further plunging us into a state of emergency that's threatening the health and safety of every LGBTQ+ person."

The report specifically spotlights Florida, where, in the last two years, legislators and Gov. Ron DeSantis have passed an extremely anti-Queer agenda, citing the impact such legislation has had on DeSantis's own constituents as he runs for president.

Executive Director Nadine Smith of Equality Florida, an organization that partnered with HRC in its emergency declaration, summed up the impact: "The results of this survey make clear that we Floridians will be repairing that damage of anti-LGBTQ laws passed in this state for years to come."