UMass recognized as one of the top 40 LGBTQ-friendly college campuses

UMass was one of the four campuses listed in the New England region

Collegian File Photo

By McKenna Premus, Assistant Social Media Editor

October 19, 2020

Campus Pride, a national LGBTQ nonprofit organization, listed the University of Massachusetts among 39 other campuses as the “Best of the Best,” having scored “the highest percentages in the LGBTQ-friendly benchmarks for policies, programs and practices,” according to the Campus Pride website. UMass has been recognized by Campus Pride for 10 consecutive years.

“We are honored that UMass was recognized for a 10th consecutive year as a top LGBTQIA+-inclusive college. It reflects the tremendous work being done by the Stonewall Center and many other offices on campus to support LGBTQIA+ students,” said UMass Stonewall Center Director Genny Beemyn in a briefing from UMass News and Media Relations.

Since its founding in 1985, the UMass Stonewall Center continues to provide resources, advocacy and support for the UMass and Pioneer Valley LGBTQIA communities. The Stonewall Center also “[seeks] to educate the campus and local community about heterosexism, genderism, other forms of oppression, and the intersections of identities and oppressions in order to strengthen and sustain an inclusive climate for LGBTQIA individuals and their allies,” according to the Stonewall Center website.

The top 40 campuses were selected from over 395 colleges and universities from six United States regions registered in the Campus Pride Index. UMass earned a five-star rating.

UMass was one of the four campuses listed in the New England region, along with Tufts University, the University of Vermont and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“LGBTQ youth and families want to know what campuses are doing when it comes to inclusive policies, programs and practices,” said Campus Pride Executive Director Shane Windmeyer on the Campus Pride website. “The ‘Best of the Best’ highlights the Top 40 this year across six regions throughout the country. Campus Pride is proud at the growing number of campuses that are ‘coming out’ and wanting to be the ‘Best of the Best’ each year.”

McKenna Premus can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @mckenna_premus.