While the university has grappled with budget cuts, mergers and workplace abuse reports, students, faculty and staff alike have not let issues relating to LGBT students fall by the wayside – a commendable feat that has indeed helped make this community more accepting, so much so that publications like Newsweek have regularly recognized this campus as one of the best for LGBT students.
That being said, while students may feel safer on the campus, issues of workplace abuse and discrimination relating to sexual orientation are far from resolved beyond the borders of this university. According to The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy, 8 to 17 percent of LGBT employees report being fired or not getting a job because of their sexual orientation, and 7 to 41 percent were verbally or physically harassed or had their workplace vandalized. Even more ominously, 90 percent of transgendered people have reported discrimination in the workplace.
While this university boasts about a dozen LGBT groups, only two are directly linked to academic departments and address issues of workplace discrimination: oSTEM, a group for LGBT students majoring in science, technology, engineering or mathematics, and the Smith LGBTA Pride Alliance for business graduate students. Now, a third group – LGBT at Smith – is seeking approval from the business school to provide resources to all business undergraduates.
The business school should certainly approve the group, and other departments should take note and follow suit. Although the campus itself may be increasingly more LGBT-friendly, let’s not forget there’s an entire world out there once we graduate; fostering outside acceptance is just as important as creating a safe university atmosphere.
By creating more of these groups and linking LGBT students to professional resources, this university could be one of the much-needed catalysts in encouraging national lawmakers to end workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Just last Wednesday, President Barack Obama disappointed gay rights activists across the country by failing to sign an executive order that would prohibit employers from discriminating on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. Although the Obama administration has made great strides in repealing the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy and voicing its support for marriage equality, it still hesitated in supporting the measure – which shows how far the nation still is from LGBT equality.
Fortunately, this university has taken it upon itself to make coming out on the campus and being openly gay safe and acceptable. Just last semester, students launched two new groups: Peer Pride, which provides peer mentoring to LGBTQ students, and Queer Council, which enables leaders from LGBT groups across the campus to collaborate on projects and provide greater student support. On top of that, the university also created a UNIV 100 course specifically geared toward LGBT students and allies.
But there’s more to be done. The university has made strides in ensuring all students feel safe here for four years, but faculty and administrators have a chance to affect more than this campus. If students have groups that help them network and create contacts beyond the campus, they’ll have a better chance at finding employment in a safe environment.
This university is certainly on the right track and should strive to continue improving LGBT acceptance by expanding its offerings. Creating groups across the campus that seek to tackle workplace discrimination head-on and ensure students are fully prepared for what lies ahead would send a message to lawmakers that the status quo simply won’t stand. Administrators and faculty members consistently strive to be at the forefront of cutting edge research – why not strive to be a leader in the fight for equal rights?
