Being queer in college can be a totally different experience than being queer in high school. Young LGBTQ people face considerable risks compared to their heterosexual, cisgender peers. In general, high schoolers who identify as LGB are nearly five times as likely to attempt suicide as straight students, reports the National Alliance on Mental Illness. And while LGBT people are more likely to complete high school and some college than those who are not LGBT, queer folks are less likely to earn a bachelor's degree or obtain a post-graduate degree, according to a Gallup Daily Tracking survey.
Luckily, resources are available to people of all ages, on college campuses and in surrounding communities. Allow this list to be a starting point for you; it isn't comprehensive.
College Resources
Maybe you came from a high school that didn't offer many resources. Maybe you waited until college to come out. Maybe you are facing conflicts with family, or maybe you just need some extra support during college. Regardless, your school can often help you. Many Ohio colleges ranked high on the Campus Pride Index last year, which is determined based on factors such as policy, academics, housing, safety, health, recruitment, retention and more.
Cleveland State University
Campus Pride Index: Information unavailable
Center: LGBTQ+ Center, located in Berkman Hall Room 211, [email protected].
Student Organizations:
Queer Student Alliance (QSA)
Friends of Pride
Highlights:
Fourteen gender neutral restrooms on campus.
Support groups such as LGBTQIA Student Support Hour and Trans Student Support are available.
Friends of Pride focuses on suicide prevention.
Case Western Reserve University
Campus Pride Index: 4.5/5
Center: Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center, located at Tinkham Veale University Center Suite 179, 216-368-5428.
Student Organizations:
LGBTQA Committee
QGrad
Theta Pi Sigma
Alumni Network
Highlights:
Nearly 50 gender neutral restrooms.
The LGBT Center provides personalized, gender inclusive housing options by reviewing each request and going through a "hands-on" process to match students with a roommate based not on gender, but on who they'd be comfortable living with, Elisabeth Roccoforte, the director of the LGBT Center told Scene.
The Student Information System has a pronoun option that will transfer to every course roster.
Theta Pi Sigma is an LGBTQ-focused, gender inclusive Greek organization that is working with other fraternities and sororities to help "make sure Greek life on campus is really integrated with the LGBT community," Emma McCann, the president of Theta Pi Sigma, told Scene.
Baldwin Wallace University
Campus Pride Index: 3/5
Center: LGBT Student Services, located in the Student Life Center, 2nd Floor Union (Strosacker Hall), 440-826-2404.
Student Organizations: Allies
Highlights:
13 gender inclusive restrooms.
LGBT scholarships are available for juniors and seniors.
For more information, visit their website.
John Carroll University
Campus Pride Index: Information unavailable
Center: Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion, located above the university bookstore, 216-397-4185.
Highlights:
Over 30 gender neutral restrooms.
Resources for LGBTQ+ survivors of sexual violence are available through the Violence Prevention and Action Center.
At the LGBTQ+ Speakers Panel, students, faculty and staff speak to an audience about various LGBTQ topics and their own journeys.
Twelve discussion groups are offered, including Queer Without God, a group for non-believing LGBTQ students.
The department has marched in the Pride in the CLE parade each year since 2016, Michael Scanlan, the executive director of strategic communications, told Scene in an email.
University of Akron
Campus Pride Index: Information unavailable
Center: LGBT Equality Committee, part of the Women's and Gender Resource Center, located at Schrank Hall North 58, 330-972-7008.
Student Organizations:
LGBTUA
Pride in STEMM
Gay Straight Law Alliance
Highlights:
Professional resources and opportunities are available for LGBTQ folks.
For more information, visit the Women's and Gender Resource Center's website or the University of Akron website.
Kent State University
Campus Pride Index: 4.5/5
Center: LGBTQ+ Center, located in the Kent Student Center Room 024, 330-672-8580.
Student Organizations:
QUEST Mentorship Program
KSU QGrad
Pride! Kent
Threads
Trans*Fusion
Fusion Magazine
Highlights:
Over 20 gender neutral restrooms.
LGBTQ Studies minor.
LGBTQ Library.
QUEST Mentorship Program pairs queer graduates with current students.
The LGBTQ+ Center has a brochure of resources tailored to non-students, as 664 community members visited the center during the last academic year, according to the center's annual report. There are resources listed both on- and off-campus, in case folks can't make it out to the Akron or Cleveland areas, said Ken Ditlevson, the director of the LGBTQ+ Center.
