By Phillip Lentsch–
For the second year in a row, the University of Louisville has been named one of America’s “Best of the Best” LGBTQ-friendly schools by the Campus Pride Index. U of L is one of only 16 universities in the country to earn five stars on the Pride Index, the highest rating.
“This ranking is so important because it sends a strong message of support and welcome to LGBT students who are thinking about where they can go to college,” LGBT Center Director Brian Buford said. “Especially in Kentucky, where we still don’t have basic protections like statewide fairness legislation, some students may not know that they can be part of an inclusive community like U of L.”
U of L’s ranking will benefit the LGBT Center in several ways for the upcoming school year. Buford has mentioned how the Center plans on establishing up to three new scholarships for LGBT students, including one that specifically targets LGBT students of color.
U of L has also been developing the eQuality Project, an effort to help its School of Medicine students understand and appreciate issues that pertain to LGBT patients. The Center also assembled and provided more than 200 emergency survival kits for homeless LGBT youth in the Louisville metropolitan area.
Back in March 2016, the LGBT Center was vandalized with graffiti that read “Die Fags” in front of the door. A few months later in June, the Pulse nightclub massacre occurred in Orlando, and the LGBT Center left chalk-written messages outside its door, preaching for stability and tolerance among the LGBT community. One message read, “We are not afraid,” inscribed in the same spot that the threatening note was sprayed.
“Orlando reminded us that there is still so much work to do to make our communities safe and welcoming for all,” Buford said. “And while we were grieving for those who were lost, we were also recommitting ourselves to doing the work it takes to make sure we are teaching people how to be a part of a diverse community and celebrate every member.”
