In 2022, NIU was ranked the most LGBTQ+-friendly college in Illinois by BestColleges and was included in Campus Pride’s “Best of the Best” list for LGBTQ+-friendly colleges and universities in the United States. LGBTQ+ students benefit largely from the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center (GSRC) and LGBTQ+-specific programming from the Center for the Study of Women, Gender and Sexuality (CSWGS), but all courses and programs can benefit from integrating LGBTQ+-inclusive content. While identity may not seem central to understanding the concepts of your courses, LGBTQ+ identities cannot be divorced from students’ experiences as learners.
With the prevalence of hate crimes and legislation focused on controlling their bodies and actions, support for LGBTQ+ people has become vital. We need to meet LGBTQ+ students with compassion and empathy, recognizing their frustrations, fears, and joys. LGBTQ+ students need to feel welcome in higher education classrooms, which means they must be seen, heard, and included without being tokenized, pitied, or trivialized.
For helpful suggestions on how to welcome and validate LGBTQ+ students and resources to further educate yourself on gender identity and sexuality, see our new Supporting LGBTQ+ Students Toolkit.
