Montclair State Is Among The '25 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Campuses' In America

CampusPride recently recognized Montclair State University for being among the 25 Most “LGBTQ-friendly” campuses in the nation in its 2015 list.

The 2015 listing – which doesn’t assign a number ranking to the schools - includes public and private colleges with student populations from 1,600 to 50,000.

The list is based on the Campus Pride Index, a national benchmarking tool that schools use to self-assess their LGBTQ-friendly policies, programs and practices.

MSU administrators wrote:

“Montclair State University is committed to creating a campus environment inclusive and supportive of sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression through education, advocacy, and support for students, faculty, and staff... Our LGBTQ Center presents educational, cultural, and social opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to challenge intolerance and promote acceptance, thus creating an open and affirming environment void of homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, cissexism, heterosexism, and gender bias.”

According to Shane Windmeyer, executive director of Campus Pride, many of the campuses that ranked in the study are specifically addressing recruitment and academic retention efforts for LGBTQ students, as well as concerns for transgender student safety.

“The LGBTQ Center at Montclair State University is dedicated to improving the services and support of LGBTQ+ students, faculty and staff,” MSU’s LGBTQ Center Program Coordinator Brian Edwards stated in a release.

“We have worked diligently with our campus partners to create an environment inclusive and supportive of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression,” stated Edwards.

Edwards added that while MSU did receive five out of five stars in the ranking, there is still more that can be done to enhance the support and services for the LGBTQ population at the university.

Edward said that the LGBTQ Center is currently working with campus administrators on the development of preferred name options in university-wide systems, creating accessible processes for students to change their gender identity on university records and documents, and creating options for students to self-identify their gender identity and sexual orientation on admissions applications.

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