UMD Ranked No. 1 College in U.S. for LGBTQ+ Students
By Lauren Brown
The University of Maryland was named the nation’s top college for LGBTQ+ students, according to 2020 rankings released by Campus Pride and Best Colleges.
The annual state and national rankings weigh inclusivity, academic support and affordability to determine which colleges provide the best support for LGBTQ+ students. Maryland moved to the top spot from No. 5 last year.
“It is an honor—and a welcome challenge to maintain and improve our leadership in LGBTQ+ campus inclusion as we face broad collective challenges related to health and social justice,” says Luke Jensen, director of UMD’s LGBT Equity Center.
Most recently, staff in the center focused on ensuring full implementation of policies on inclusive language for university communications, students’ personal data in UMD databases and all-gender restrooms around campus.
Other programs include Quelcome, a social and networking event at the beginning of the academic year; Q Camp, a community-building retreat; the Lavender Leadership Honor Society for advocates of LGBTQ+ rights; and the traditional Lavender Graduation.
