Donald Paddget

Editor’s Note: It is difficult to fathom how any university or college can be deemed LGBT-Friendly when it’s campus is located in a state where LGBTQI+ rights and reproductive rights and health are threatened. Alas, this is a yearly index that some may find helpful. While we aplaud college’s that offerLGBTQI+ folks the right we deserve. we urge administrations to force state legislatures and governors to do the same.

Campus Pride has released its annual Best of the Best list of the top 30 colleges and universities for LGBTQ+ students.

The exclusive list is based on its Campus Pride Index which rates institutions based on self-reporting of various criteria important to LGBTQ+ students and their families.

“The Best of the Best list was first created in 2009 as a way to showcase colleges and universities that were committed to offering safe and inclusive environments for LGBTQ+ students so that students and families could make informed choices about where to pursue higher education,” says Shane Mendez Windmeyer, the founder, CEO, and executive director of Campus Pride. “In today’s climate, which finds LGBTQ+ identities being used as political talking points and laws being weaponized against LGBTQ+ people, the commitment to creating campuses that welcome and protect LGBTQ+ students cannot be taken for granted. The colleges and universities that made our list this year deserve this highest recognition for the efforts they have made and continue to make.”

You can read the complete list of the Best of the Best LGBTQ+ Friendly colleges and universities from Campus Pride, including individual pages for each institution, here.

But keep scrolling to see if your institution made the list.

Adelphi University – Mid-Atlantic Region

Image adelphi.edu

Garden City, New York

Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5

Institution Type: Private Institution

Student Population: 7,859

Institution Website: www.adelphi.edu

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

Augsburg University – Midwest Region

Image Instagram: augsburguniversity

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5

Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Private Institution, Liberal Arts College, Religious Affiliation

Student Population: 3,537

Institution Website: www.augsburg.edu

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

Elon University – South Region

Image Instagram: elonglc

Elon, North Carolina

Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5

Institution Type: Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Private Institution, Liberal Arts College

Student Population: 6,500

Institution Website: www.elon.edu

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

George Mason University – South Region

Image Instagram: masonathletics, lgbtq.mason

Fairfax, Virginia

Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5

Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Public/State University

Student Population: 39,150

Institution Website: www.gmu.edu

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

Guilford College – South Region

Image Instagram: guilfordcollege

Greensboro, North Carolina

Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5

Institution Type: Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Private Institution, Liberal Arts College, Religious Affiliation

Student Population: 1,200

Institution Website: www.guilford.edu

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

Indiana University, Bloomington – Midwest Region

Image lgbtq.indiana.edu

Bloomington, Indiana

Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5

Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Public/State Institution

Student Population: 49,695

Institution Website: lgbtq.indiana.edu/

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

Ithaca College – Mid-Atlantic

Image Instagram: ithacacollege

Ithaca, New York

Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5

Institution Type: Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Private Institution, Liberal Arts College

Student Population: 6,000

Institution Website: www.ithaca.edu

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

Kansas State University – Midwest Region

Image Instagram: kstatelgbt

Manhattan, Kansas

Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5

Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University

Student Population: 20,000

Institution Website: www.k-state.edu/lgbt/

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

Northern Illinois University – Midwest Region

Image Instagram: niu_gsrc

DeKalb, Illinois

Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5

Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University

Student Population: 16,234

Institution Website: niu.edu/gsrc/

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

Northern Kentucky University – South Region

Image Instagram: lgbtqnku

Highland Heights, Kentucky

Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5

Institution Type: Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University

Student Population: 16,000

Institution Website: lgbtq.nku.edu

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

Oakland University – Midwest Region

Image oakland.edu

Rochester, Minnesota

Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5

Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University

Student Population: 17,170

Institution Website: www.oakland.edu

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

Ohio State University – Midwest Region

Image lgbtq.osu.edu

Columbus, Ohio

Campus Pride Index: 3.5 out of 5

Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University

Student Population: 49,000

Institution Website: www.osu.edu

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

Pennsylvania State University – Mid-Atlantic Region

Image Instagram: pennstatelgbtq

University Park, Pennsylvania

Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5

Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University

Student Population: 46,184

Institution Website: studentaffairs.psu.edu/csgd

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

Purdue University – Midwest Region

Image Instagram: purduelgbtq

West Lafayette, Indiana

Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5

Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University

Student Population: 49,000

Institution Website: www.purdue.edu/lgbtq/

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey – Mid-Atlantic Region

Image Instagram: rusjelgbt

New Brunswick, New Jersey

Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5

Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University

Student Population: 6,000

Institution Website: socialjustice.rutgers.edu

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

San Diego State University – West Region

Image Instagram: sdsupridecenter, experiencesdsu

San Diego, California

Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5

Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University, Hispanic Serving Institution

Student Population: 32,000

Institution Website: pridecenter.sdsu.edu

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

Southern Oregon University – West Region

Image socialjustice.sou.edu

Ashland, Oregon

Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5

Institution Type: Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University, Liberal Arts College

Student Population: 6,191

Institution Website: sou.edu

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

Tufts University – New England Region

Image Instagram: tuftslgbtcenter

Medford, Massachussetts

Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5

Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Private Institution

Student Population: 11,606

Institution Website: admissions.tufts.edu

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

University of Colorado, Boulder – West Region

Image Instagram: cuboulder

Boulder, Colorado

Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5

Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University

Student Population: 30,000

Institution Website: www.colorado.edu

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

University of Illinois Chicago – Midwest Region

Image Facebook: UIC Undergraduate Admissions

Chicago, Illinois

Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5

Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University, Hispanic Serving Institution, Asian and Pacific Islander Serving Institution

Student Population: 30,539

Institution Website: admissions.uic.edu

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

University of Louisville – South Region

Image Instagram: lgbtcenteruofl

Louisville, Kentucky

Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5

Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University

Student Population: 22,000

Institution Website: louisville.edu/lgbt

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

University of Maryland, College Park – Mid-Atlantic Region

Image Instagram: umdpride

College Park, Maryland

Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5

Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Public/State University, Asian American and Pacific Islander Serving Institution

Student Population: 37,952

Institution Website: lgbt.umd.edu

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

University of Massachusetts, Amherst – New England Region

Image Instagram: umass.stonewall

Amherst, Massachussetts

Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5

Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University

Student Population: 28,500

Institution Website: www.umass.edu

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

University of Pennsylvania – Mid-Atlantic Region

Image lgbtcenter.universitylife.upenn.edu

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5

Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University

Student Population: 20,000

Institution Website: www.upenn.edu

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

University of Rochester – Mid-Atlantic Region

Image Instagram: urochester

Rochester, New York

Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5

Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Private Institution

Student Population: 10,182

Institution Website: rochester.edu/

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

University of Vermont – New England Region

Image Instagram: prismuvm

Burlington, Vermont

Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5

Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University

Student Population: 11,000

Institution Website: www.uvm.edu/

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire – Midwest Region

Image Instagram: uweauclaire

Eau Claire, Wisconsin

Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5

Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University, Liberal Arts College

Student Population: 11,000

Institution Website: www.uwec.edu/

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

University of Wisconsin, Green Bay – Midwest Region

Image Instagram: uwgb

Green Bay, Wisconsin

Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5

Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University, Liberal Arts College

Student Population: 9,780

Institution Website: www.uwgb.edu

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee – Midwest Region

Image uwm.edu

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Campus Pride Index: 4.5 out of 5

Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Public/State University

Student Population: 23,829

Institution Website: uwm.edu/lgbtrc

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

Washington University in St. Louis – Midwest Region

Image Facebook: Wash U Pride Alliance

St. Louis, Missouri

Campus Pride Index: 5 out of 5

Institution Type: Doctoral/Research University, Master’s College/University, Baccalaureate College/University, Private Institution

Student Population: 14,000

Institution Website: www.lgbt.wustl.edu

Campus Pride Index Institution Page

The state of Tennessee is being sued in the U.S. District Court in Memphis by a support group and four sex workers who say a set of 1990 laws unlawfully discriminate against people living with HIV.

Tennessee law currently criminalizes prostitution as a misdemeanor, usually punishable by a small fine. Sex workers living with HIV, however, are prosecuted as aggravated prostitution, a felony, and subjected to lifetime registration as a violent sexual offender under the Sexual Offender and Violent Sexual Offender Registration, Verification and Tracking Act of 2004 (TN-SORA).

The plaintiffs in the case are OUTMemphis, an LGBTQ+ advocacy and support group for people living with HIV, and four individuals living with HIV who say they suffered discriminatory hardship following their conviction for aggravated prostitution and the resulting lifetime registration as a violent sexual offender. They are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and the TransgenderLaw Center.

“People convicted of Aggravated Prostitution must spend years in prison and then register as violent sex offenders for the rest of their lives – meaning they cannot access the housing, employment, healthcare and community life that they need to get back on their feet,” Molly Quinn, executive director of OUTMemphis, said in a statement. “This statute solely targets people because of their HIV status and keeps them in cycles of poverty while posing absolutely zero benefit to public health and safety.”

Named in the suit are Governor Bill Lee, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch, and Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada. 

The lawsuit claims living with HIV has “long been recognized as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).” The lawsuit concludes that since the “ADA prohibits discrimination by state government entities by reason of a person’s disability,” the aggravated prostitution prosecutions are “explicitlyviolating this guarantee by subjecting people living with HIV who are convicted of engaging in sex work to dramatically increased criminal liability and lifetime registration as ‘violent’ sex offenders – solely by virtue of their disability.” The lawsuit also claims the aggravated prostitution statutes violate the due process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, as well as the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment for SORA-TN’s lifetime sex registration requirement.

“The Aggravated Prostitution statute is a relic from when HIV first emerged in the 1980s and is motivated by fear, misinformation, and discrimination — not sound science or evidence,” Jeff Preptit, staff attorney for ACLU-TN, said in a statement. “Instead of criminalizing HIV, which disproportionately targets transgender and cisgender Black women who are already socially and financially marginalized, lawmakers should invest in evidence-based public health responses to support people living with HIV to end the epidemic.”

The lawsuit noted that Black cisgender and transgender women were disproportionately impacted by the law, and that “a Black woman in Tennessee was 290 times more likely to be on the sex offender registry for an HIV-related conviction than a white man.”

Police have arrested a young man they say shot and killed the journalist and LGBTQ+ activist Josh Kruger in his home earlier this month.

Robert Davis, 19, surrendered without incident and was arrested at the home of his mother in south Philadelphia on Wednesday, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer and other sources. Police say Davis shot Kruger seven times in the chest and abdomen around 1:30 a.m. on October 2. Kruger staggered outside, where he collapsed, and died a short time later at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.

Both police and Davis’s family say the two men had a prior relationship allegedly beginning when Davis was 15. 

Davis’s mother, Damica Davis, earlier this month told the Inquirer that her son grew up without a father, suffered from mental health and anger management issues, and had been in and out of several drug rehabilitation programs. She said his drug use and erratic behavior escalated when he turned 15. He started staying out late at night on a regular basis, and the family found drug paraphernalia, including needles, in his possession.

When she confronted him about his behavior, she said Davis claimed he was involved with an “older white woman” who “worked for the government” he had recently met online. Kruger was an employee of the city from 2015 to 2020, including as a spokesperson for the Office of Homeless Services and at the Department of Health. 

Despite being unable to hold down a steady job, Davis started coming home with expensive gifts and clothing he could not afford. Damica told the Inquirer the family was concerned and followed Davis to the same block where Kruger lived, but were unable to determine which house he had entered. She also said she saw the name Josh frequently appear on her son’s phone.

Davis said her son only recently confessed that he was involved in a drug-fueled sexual relationship with Kruger and that the journalist-activist was threatening to post sexually explicit videos of the youth online if he didn’t comply with certain requests he found objectionable.

“He was scared,” Davis told the Inquirerearlier this month after the murder. “He said ‘He wanted me to do some stuff I didn’t want to do and if I didn’t do it, he said he was going to blackmail me.’”

At the same time Davis was learning of her son’s alleged involvement with Kruger, anonymous sources confirmed to the Inquirer that investigators had independently identified images and messages described as “disturbing” on Kruger’s phone, and that the matter was forwarded to the Special Victims Unit for further investigation. Police also say they found methamphetamine in his home on the date of his murder.

Despite the allegations, Kruger was remembered for his personal struggles in surviving homelessness, addiction, and sex work.

“Josh was a complex, beautiful person who believed fiercely in justice and wrote with fire and compassion that few others can,” Mathew Rodriguez, writer and former editor at The Body said in a statement to The Advocate earlier this month. “He was also my friend of over a decade and the world is worse for not having his keen insight and big heart.”

For her part, Davis is not excusing the actions of her son, saying that nothing justifies the killing of Kruger.

“It’s tragic what happened,” she said. “But I feel like my son is a victim in this as well.”

Homophobic vandals have attacked multiple LGBTQ+ targets in eastern Washington this month, painting over a rainbow crosswalk, defacing an LGBTQ+ youth resource center with antigay slurs, destroying Halloween decorations, and ripping down a flag at the home of a local politician.

The Odyssey Youth Movement in the South Perry neighborhood of Spokane suffered three consecutive nights of vandalism this month, according to local NBC affiliate KHQ. The sign and rainbow crosswalk outside its facility were defaced with paint on October 5. The following evening the property was again defaced with hateful slurs painted on the doors, windows, and sign. And on October 7, witnesses reported a truck “burning out” and leaving rubber marks on the rainbow crosswalk. Last month, a mural outside the center was also vandalized.

“These actions are designed to make LGBTQ+ youth and young adults feel unwelcome and othered in their own community,” Ian Sullivan, executive director at OYM, told the station last week.

LGBTQ+ city councilperson Zack Zappone stood strong against the attacks in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter.

“We can’t let fear keep us down,” Zappone wrote. “In Spokane, we all belong.”

In response to the repeated attacks, OYM hosted a pop-up Pride event on Thursday at the center. That night, vandals struck again. They tore down a Pride flag at the home of Paul Dillon, a candidate for City Council, and another person’s home. They also destroyed holiday decorations and threw eggs at the LGBTQ-affirming Wishing Tree Books, which is a neighbor of OYM.

“This is our home and we are not backing down,” Zappone posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, shortly after the attack on his home.

“The vandalism and everything that’s been going on is horrible, and it is kind of insane,” Janelle Smith, owner of Wishing Tree Books, told local CBS affiliate KREM.

Police in Spokane are investigating the case, but have not yet labeled it a hate crime.

A bookstore in Vermont is fighting back against calls to limit LGBTQ+ literature for young readers by hosting its first-ever Pride Readathon to raise funds for a summer camp for LGBTQ+ kids.

Bear Pond Books in Montpelier will be hosting a Pride Readathon the entire month of June where participants will raise funds for every LGBTQ+ book they read. Bear Pond Books has a goal of raising $40,000 to support Outright Vermont’s Camp Outright, a summer camp that lets LGBTQ+ kids be themselves while taking part in a typical group camp experience. A private donor has offered to match the funds raised up to $20,000 in the Pride Readathon. It’s also possible to simply donate in lieu of participating in the event.

Jess Turner of Bear Pond Books told local NBC affiliate WPTZ that readers will be able to create their own online public profile showing the books on their reading list as well as tracking their reading progress and the donations they’ve raised to date. So far, the bookstore has raised $1,580 of its $40,000 goal.

Turner said another goal of the Pride Readathon is to get folks to read books by LGBTQ+ authors or that include LGBTQ+ characters or themes.

“There’s no rule, you pick whatever number of books you want to read and you read whatever you want, as long as it celebrates an LGBTQ+ author’s voice,” Turner said. “So, graphic novels, memoirs, novels, fiction, nonfiction, fantasy, all the genres within that, anything goes.”

The library has put together a suggested list of LGBTQ+ books to aid participating readers. Recommended books on the list include Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan, I’m So (Not) Over You by Kosoko Jackson, and the modern classic Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe which was reportedly the most banned book in 2022. In March a local prosecutor in Michigan threatened a small town librarian with felony charges if the Lapeer District Library did not remove Gender Queerfrom the shelves.

Books have been targeted across the country for having queer or racial elements to them.

Camp Outright bills itself as a camp with a twist, providing a safe and affirming traditional summer camp environment for LGBTQ+ youth. Outright Vermont and the Common Ground Center are teaming up to offer two six-day, five-night residential camps for queer, trans, questioning, and allied youth between the ages of 13 and 17. Straight allies are welcome to attend as well.

“Probably the most positive experience I’ve had in my life was being at Camp,” one former camper was quoted on the Camp Outright website. “It was easy to just be there and exist, which we often can’t do at home or school. You can just go to camp and be gay and make friends, and that’s very nice.”

You can learn more about the Pride Readathon through the month of June at the Bear Bond Bookstore, including how to participate or donate, on their website (www.bearpondbook.com) or Outright Vermont (outrighttvt.com).