Creating better inclusion for LGBTQ students at historically Black colleges and universities was the focus of the second annual “Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Leadership Summit on LGBTQ Inclusion for University Presidents and Senior Executives” hosted by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
HRC, which focuses on advocating for equality for the LGBTQ community, brought together 12 HBCU presidents and senior executives to discuss and strategize on a wide range of issues that impact the LGBTQ campus community, from HIV prevention to transgendered families.
The highlight of the summit included testimonials from Hampton University alumna Dr. Keisha Michaels and Spelman College alumna Jodie Patterson, who are mothers of transgender children and shared their experiences of raising a transgender child. Additionally, they both aspire to send their transgender children to an HBCU, but expressed concerns regarding their safety and fears of isolation.
“I hear very complex conversations around gender at predominantly White institutions, and as a parent I need proof,” said Patterson. “I need to see conversations and be a part of those conversations. I need proof that we are in it, that we are committed to the conversation, that it is robust and that it is diverse. That, to me, is safety.”
In recent years, many HBCUs have begun implementing new initiatives to make their campuses more LGBTQ-inclusive. For example, Dillard University will have its first transgender male student in the fall. In addition, Dillard has set up a presidential task force to discuss LGBTQ issues and has created a “sex week” that focuses on sexuality and awareness surrounding the LGBTQ community.
“I’m always thankful to be exposed to people that I’m not familiar with,” said Dillard’s President, Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough. “So, both of them presenting as parents, I think, is a powerful narrative that our faculty and staff can relate to and say, ‘If this was my child, I’d want to make sure that my child would be treated the right way and responsibly and with love and care,’ so that was just powerful to me.”
Many of Morgan State University’s new facilities include gender-neutral bathrooms, according to its president, Dr. David Wilson. In the near future, he said, the university hopes to implement a living-learning community in order to create a gender-neutral space.
