Jan - July 2022 News Related to Higher Education and LGBTQ+ Stakeholders - NMU Allies

July 29, 2022

"A Christian university in Seattle is suing Washington State’s attorney general, alleging religious discrimination, because of his efforts to investigate the institution’s anti-LGBTQ employment policy."

More at Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/a-private-university-drew-a-state-investigation-for-its-anti-lgbtq-policy-so-its-suing

July 28, 2022

"The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has upheld a district court’s ruling against a suit by the College of the Ozarks because the college 'lacked standing to establish a case or controversy.'”

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/07/28/appeals-court-rejects-suit-college-ozarks

July 26, 2022

"Wax should be free to oppose affirmative action, same-sex marriage and immigration. Those are publicly debated issues, and we can’t learn more about them—or help the public understand them—if we can’t debate them ourselves, in a full and open manner. That’s why I’ll continue to defend Wax’s right to express 'dissenting views,' as she wrote in her email, even when I find them bigoted and repulsive."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/views/2022/07/26/amy-wax-can-speak-her-mind-not-demean-students-opinion

July 20, 2022

"The University of Texas at Dallas is investigating a professor who has called LGBTQ identity a 'medical disorder' and suggested that doctors may find a cure for it."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/07/20/ut-dallas-investigates-professor-comments-lgbtq-people

July 18, 2022

"A federal judge issued a ruling Friday that temporarily stops the U.S. Department of Education from enforcing in 20 states its policy that Title IX protects gay and transgender students from discrimination."

More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/court-temporarily-halts-ed-dept-from-enforcing-lgbtq-protections-under-titl/627480/

July 14, 2022

"That goal is more relevant than ever as the number of LGBTQ+ students at Christian institutions continues to climb. A survey conducted by the Religious Exemption Accountability Project and College Pulse last year found that 11 percent of students attending Christian colleges identified as non-heterosexual, 22 percent had experienced same-sex attraction and 2 percent identified as gender nonconforming."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/07/14/christian-college-alums-show-support-lgbtq-students

July 12, 2022

"LGBTQ applicants often consider a specific set of questions when assessing a campus. What support services does the campus offer? How inclusive is it, really? Are there gender-neutral housing options? Then they must weigh the answers against all the usual concerns, such as affordability, academic offerings, location, size, and reputation."

More at Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/finding-safety-the-path-2-lgbtq-students-took-to-college

July 12, 2022

"A new in-depth case study in Science finds that faculty hiring rubrics—also called criterion checklists or evaluation tools—helped mitigate gender bias in these decisions. At the same time, researchers found evidence that substantial gender bias persisted in some rubric scoring categories and evaluators’ written comments."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/07/12/study-rubrics-mitigate-gender-bias-faculty-hiring

July 7, 2022

"California has banned state-funded travel to Indiana due to its recently enacted bill prohibiting transgender girls from participating in girls school sports."

More at Indy Star at www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2022/07/07/california-bans-certain-travel-indiana-transgender-sports-law/7832009001/

July 6, 2022

"A district court judge has issued a preliminary injunction against the University of Idaho, which filed a no-contact order against three Christian law students whose expressed views on marriage as between one man and one woman left an LGBTQ+ student feeling threatened, according to the ruling."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/07/06/judge-university-can%E2%80%99t-silence-students%E2%80%99-religious-views

July 6, 2022

"[Seattle Pacific University] students had been there for over a month, protesting an employment policy at the private religious university that they say harms the LGBTQ community."

More at Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/this-university-is-standing-by-an-anti-lgbtq-policy-students-say-its-out-of-touch

July 5, 2022

"Last month the Biden administration proposed a new set of Title IX rules that would expand protections for transgender students in college. However, it still remains unclear how the department will address transgender students’ participation in athletics. The department will conduct a separate rule-making process that is expected to focus heavily on transgender students’ participation in sports."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/07/05/title-ix-transgender-athletes-be-considered-separately

June 30, 2022

"Transgender-rights experts and Title IX coordinators say the new rules would be a positive step in making their campuses more inclusive. The rules would allow trans students to use facilities that correspond with their gender identity, prohibit bullying based on gender identity, and ensure students are referred to with the correct pronouns. Colleges found in violation of Title IX could be investigated and risk losing federal funding."

More at Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/for-transgender-students-title-ix-changes-could-reopen-doors-closed-under-trump

June 29, 2022

"The new redirection currently goes to a blank page that stems from the SVSU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs. Going back a page onto the office’s main offshoot from the SVSU homepage, visitors are greeted with a group photo and a blurb about services offered by Multicultural Student Affairs."

More at MLive at www.mlive.com/news/saginaw-bay-city/2022/06/whered-the-pride-center-go-lgbtq-services-join-the-svsu-office-of-multicultural-student-affairs.html

June 29, 2022

"Thousands of people have signed a petition asking George Washington University to end the employment of U.S. Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas as an adjunct instructor of law based on his position in last week’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned the court’s 1973 Roe vs. Wade ruling legalizing abortion nationwide. Thomas not only sided with the majority in Dobbs but also issued an individual concurrence saying that he and his colleagues 'should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell.'... This has sparked widespread concern about the court’s deference to legal precedent and, more specifically, the future of access to contraception and of equal rights for LGBTQ Americans."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/06/29/george-washington-u-defends-employing-justice-thomas

June 29, 2022

"Last week, the U.S. Department of Education published its long-awaited regulatory proposal on Title IX, the federal law that bans sex-based discrimination in schools that receive federal funding. "

More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/5-proposed-title-ix-rule-changes-colleges-should-know/626242/

June 28, 2022

"Science is a meritocracy. The merit of scientists’ ideas matters much more than whether a scientist is Black or white, a man or a woman, and is gay or straight. Right?"

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/06/28/authors-discuss-book-science-and-definitions-merit

June 28, 2022

"If I had had the good fortune to represent the United States in South Africa this fall, I would have been proud not just to be representing my country but also to be a beneficiary of the nation’s ongoing (though sometimes halting) commitment to equity. Proud of its efforts to recognize and support new talent no matter what it looks like and regardless of age, race or ethnicity, gender, orientation, or (dis)ability."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/advice/2022/06/28/continuing-importance-title-ix-womens-leadership-opinion

June 24, 2022

"The Biden administration on Thursday proposed major changes to Title IX that would make it easier for victims of sexual harassment to report possible harm and expands protections to students based on sexual orientation and gender identity, reversing many of the current regulations created by former president Trump."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/06/24/biden-expands-protections-sexual-harassment-lgbtq-students

June 23, 2022

"Colleges would no longer need to hold live hearings to evaluate claims of sexual violence and would be responsible for investigating a wide scope of such incidents — even many that occur off campus — under a sweeping new regulatory plan U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona unveiled Thursday."

More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/new-title-ix-regulatory-plan-broadens-sexual-violence-cases-colleges-must-i/625967/

June 23, 2022

"Cardona’s draft regulation on Title IX — the federal law banning sex-based discrimination in educational settings — also cements protections for LGBTQ students, making plain that prejudice against a student’s gender identity or sexual orientation could violate the landmark statute. It would compel institutions to potentially punish bullying against transgender students, for instance."

More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/new-title-ix-regulatory-plan-broadens-sexual-violence-cases-colleges-must-i/625967/

June 23, 2022

"The U.S. Education Department on Thursday released its proposed Title IX regulations, which would reverse many Trump-era policies and restore the pro-victim approach championed by the Obama administration."

More at Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/heres-how-title-ix-could-change-under-bidens-proposed-rule

June 23, 2022

"The Biden administration released a proposed Title IX rule Thursday featuring major overhauls to how colleges should respond to cases of sexual assault. The proposed rule also expands protections for LGBTQ students."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/06/23/new-title-ix-rules-released

June 22, 2022

"Female students, LGBTQIA+ students and students of color responding to the survey, conducted in mid-May by Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse with support from Kaplan, tend to feel less safe, and the latter two groups have had less positive interactions with campus safety officials compared to the full sample of 2,004 students."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/06/22/survey-campuses-perceived-safe-some-students-not-all

June 21, 2022

"Piedmont University president James Mellichamp announced that he will retire as soon as his replacement is found, Now Habersham reported."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/06/21/piedmont-president-under-attack-retire

June 20, 2022

"Piedmont University President James Mellichamp is retiring. The embattled administrator says he’ll step down as head of the private liberal arts school in Demorest as soon as a permanent successor is named."

More at Now Habersham at https://nowhabersham.com/piedmont-university-president-mellichamp-announces-his-retirement/

June 19, 2022

"Faculty leaders at Piedmont University are asking the school’s Board of Trustees to suspend and temporarily remove President Dr. James Mellichamp and his husband Dr. Daniel Smith from campus. The Faculty Senate Executive Committee made the request Thursday in the wake of another high-profile resignation. The panel asked the board to act so that an investigation may be conducted into allegations of misconduct leveled against the couple."

More at Now Habersham at https://nowhabersham.com/faculty-leaders-call-on-trustees-to-suspend-piedmonts-president-spouse-amid-misconduct-allegations/

June 19, 2022

"A few months after Massachusetts became the first state to recognize same-sex marriage, a college senior in Michigan wrote an essay on why his church should do the same."

More at Huffpost at www.huffpost.com/entry/calvin-university-professor-joe-kuilema-gay-marriage-lgbtq_n_62aca02de4b06169ca988191

June 16, 2022

"A New York State judge has ruled that Yeshiva University must recognize the YU Pride Alliance as an official student group."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/06/16/judge-yeshiva-u-must-recognize-lgbtq-group

June 16, 2022

"More than 200 education and civil rights groups are calling on the U.S. Department of Education to release its Title IX regulatory proposal by June 23, the 50th anniversary of the law. "

More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/over-200-groups-call-on-education-department-to-release-title-ix-rule-by-la/625649/

June 14, 2022

"The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies last week formally expressed regret for the field’s past involvement in what’s now known as conversion therapy. But the written apology—which acknowledged that therapists continued to study conversion therapy in LGBTQ people even after the American Psychiatric Association first said in 1973 that same-sex attraction was not a disorder, and after the association passed a similar resolution a year later—fell short for some."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/06/14/conversion-therapy-apology-statement-raises-questions

June 10, 2022

"Piedmont University provost Daniel Silber resigned abruptly on Tuesday in protest of proposed budget cuts and faculty layoffs, which the Board of Trustees was set to vote on this week."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/06/10/piedmont-provost-resigns-over-unethical-budget-cuts

June 10, 2022

"The U.S. Department of Education under President Joe Biden is due to replace the Trump-era rule, but his administration has postponed issuing a regulatory plan twice. The proposal is now expected this month."

More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/whats-the-fallout-from-the-education-department-delaying-new-title-ix-regu/625322/

June 6, 2022

"The state Board of Regents has agreed to settle a complaint with a University of Northern Iowa student who accused the institution and its employees of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity."

More at The Gazette at www.thegazette.com/higher-education/university-of-northern-iowa-student-settles-discrimination-complaint-with-student-agrees-to-trainin/

June 3, 2022

"A group of 35 civil rights organizations sent a letter to the Education Department to demand it investigate claims that colleges and universities are requiring students to sign nondisclosure agreements before the institution will look into a Title IX claim."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/06/03/civil-rights-groups-demand-end-title-ix-nda-prerequisites

May 25, 2022

"The blind peer-review process has long been a hallmark of academic research. Blind review ensures that research is evaluated based on the merits of the work, not the individuals who did the work. In theory, this results in better-quality research and mitigates the impacts of bias and gatekeeping in academic publishing. In reality, however, blind review can facilitate the perpetuation of institutional discrimination by turning a blind eye to the identities of those whose work is disseminated and the agendas of their institutions. It is time for academia to rethink the consequences of blind review and create processes to evaluate research that promote the sharing of high-quality work without the unintended consequence of reinforcing legacies of harm."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/views/2022/05/25/blind-review-process-can-perpetuate-discrimination-opinion

May 24, 2022

"Lee University will strictly limit students’ expression and speech around gender identity starting this fall, according to a leaked policy draft."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/05/24/lee-university-limit-students%E2%80%99-gender-expression

May 23, 2022

"What’s the difference between a 'pedophile' and a 'minor-attracted person'? 'Minor' is a legal designation, while 'pedo-' ('child') names a developmental phase. But beyond that the phrases are denotatively identical. They feel different, though. The word derived from Greek sounds evaluative, and has indeed become so, such that 'pedo,' enunciated on its own, can illogically serve as a disgusted insult ('That guy looks like a total pedo.'). 'Minor-attracted person,' conversely, sounds studiedly neutral — clinical, technical, academic. 'Pedophile,' presumably, once sounded the same way but has become stigmatizing rather than merely descriptive."

More at Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/newsletter/the-review/2022-05-23

May 23, 2022

"The U.S. Department of Education is once again pushing back the release of its highly awaited regulatory proposal on Title IX and now plans to publish it in June."

More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/ed-dept-delays-release-of-draft-title-ix-rule-again-now-targets-june/624228/

May 23, 2022

"The Biden administration said it will soon publish its proposed rule governing Title IX, the federal law banning sex-based discrimination in educational settings. The rule will direct how colleges must investigate and potentially punish sexual violence. "

More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/a-look-at-11-years-of-title-ix-policy/623810/

May 20, 2022

"At any other non-religious college, such a pledge would be a violation of a 1972 federal law that protects against sex discrimination at schools that receive federal funding. Since the mid-2010s, as courts and policymakers began interpreting 'sex' in federal civil rights statutes to include gender identity and later, sexual orientation, these protections have expanded to LGBTQ students."

More at Politico at www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/05/20/religious-universities-lgbtq-students-title-ix-lawsuit-00033373

May 19, 2022

"New research from the Williams Institute, a think tank at the UCLA School of Law, revealed that LGBTQ people who attended college or graduate school were four times more likely, at 21.5 percent, to report having chosen a university in a different city or state to seek a more welcoming climate than non-LGBTQ people, at 4.8 percent. Nearly one-third, or 32.6 percent, of LGBTQ people reported picking a college elsewhere to get away from their family, compared to 14.1 percent of non-LGBTQ people. "

More at NBC News at www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/lgbtq-students-likely-leave-home-college-welcoming-states-rcna29259

May 17, 2022 • Updated May 23, 2022

"The Biden administration said it will soon publish its proposed rule governing Title IX, the federal law banning sex-based discrimination in educational settings. The rule will direct how colleges must investigate and potentially punish sexual violence."

More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/a-look-at-11-years-of-title-ix-policy/623810/

May 17, 2022

"U.S. senator Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming has issued an apology after she made remarks in a commencement speech at the University of Wyoming Saturday that some considered transphobic, prompting boos from the crowd."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/05/17/wyoming-senator-booed-antitrans-comment-commencement

May 16, 2022

"LGBTQ college students in the US are routinely suffering harassment and assault, yet their institutions often don’t collect the data needed to reveal the size of the problem, a nationwide analysis has found."

More at Times of Higher Education at www.timeshighereducation.com/news/us-universities-need-better-data-abuse-lgbt-students

May 16, 2022

"As a torrent of unwanted attention and threats fell on Old Dominion, the university placed Walker on administrative leave. Less than two weeks later, Walker resigned. The university depicted the decision as mutual."

More at Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/an-unacceptable-idea

May 16, 2022

"Soka University of America is accusing its only queer professor of color, Aneil Rallin, of exposing students to 'deviant pornography' and 'vaguely pedophilic' materials in a class called Writing the Body."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/05/16/university-could-fire-writing-professor-over-deviant-pornography

May 12, 2022

"LGBTQ+ students were more likely to experience discrimination and violence, according to a new study by the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law Williams Institute and the Point Foundation, a scholarship fund that provides financial aid for LGBTQ+ students."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/05/12/study-lgbtq-students-more-likely-experience-bullying

May 12, 2022

"Britain’s biggest academic union is set for a bitter showdown over its stance on transgender rights—as members remain locked in disputes over pay and pensions."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/05/12/britains-largest-academic-union-divided-transgender-issues

May 12, 2022

"A leaked draft of a 'statement of belief' by Lee University officials has caused disappointment and outrage among some students and alumni for its position on sexuality and gender."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/05/12/lgbtq-students-and-alumni-criticize-lee-university-statement

May 11, 2022

"The UK’s biggest academic union is set for a bitter showdown over its stance on transgender rights – as members remain locked in disputes over pay and pensions."

More at The Times of Higher Education at www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ucu-set-showdown-over-transgender-rights-stance

April 29, 2022

"That controversy over Thomas’s participation may be over, but tough questions about the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s rules for transgender athletes still haven’t been answered. Arriving at a way forward will require interpreting a growing and contested body of science while navigating a fraught political environment."

More at Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/in-the-wake-of-lia-thomas-what-will-the-ncaa-do

April 28, 2022

"The U.S. Department of Education plans to issue its proposed Title IX regulation governing how colleges and K-12 schools should investigate and punish sexual violence in May, and not this month as it said previously."

More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/education-department-plans-to-issue-title-ix-proposal-in-may-not-april-as/622833/

April 28, 2022

"The LGBTQ Presidents in Higher Education organization has approved, by a board vote, a boycott of states that have passed legislation discriminating against gay and transgender individuals."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/04/28/lgbtq-presidents%E2%80%99-organization-boycott-certain-states

April 27, 2022

"Kuilema was denied tenure in 2018 because of his advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights. Instead, he was shuffled into a cycle of renewable two-year appointments."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/04/27/professor-who-officiated-gay-wedding-denied-reappointment

April 27, 2022

"Joseph Kuilema was already on thin ice at Calvin University. His public advocacy on LGBTQ+ issues as an assistant professor of social work at Calvin, a private college affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church, had been a source of increasing tension with administrators and trustees. The board, in 2018, had denied Kuilema tenure, citing concerns about his “tone and strategy” on matters related to same-sex marriage."

More at Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/this-professor-officiated-at-a-gay-wedding-then-he-lost-his-job

May 26, 2022

"About 200 students walked out of classes Tuesday to protest Seattle Pacific University’s policy of discriminating against LGBTQ individuals in hiring, The Seattle Times reported. The students assembled on campus and shouted, 'We want gay staff. We want gay faculty.'"

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/05/26/walkout-seattle-pacific-over-anti-lgbtq-hiring-policy

April 25, 2022

"A three-judge federal appeals court ruled unanimously Thursday that two speech policies at the University of Central Florida likely violate the First Amendment. While the ruling is not a final decision about the case, it grants an injunction to bar the university from using the policies and strongly condemns them."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/04/25/us-appeals-court-slams-speech-policy-central-florida

April 25, 2022

"The Biden administration is nearing the point of issuing new rules addressing sex-based discrimination in US education just as the question grows ever more complicated for students and faculty."

More at Times of Higher Ed at www.timeshighereducation.com/news/biden-turns-transgender-rights-discrimination-rules-redraft

April 21, 2022

"The case shows how debates concerning trans students’ rights in higher education have intensified. And they could grow more heated with the impending release of the Biden administration’s proposed regulation on Title IX, the federal law banning sex-based discrimination in education settings."

More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/a-400k-settlement-over-misgendering-a-trans-student-could-foreshadow-wave/622233/

April 20, 2022

"LGBTQ+ student organizers say Texas A&M University defunded its annual drag show without explanation after initially agreeing to partner with them on the event, The Daily Beast reported."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/04/20/texas-am-defunds-annual-drag-show

April 19, 2022

"Michigan Democrats are accusing their Republican counterparts in the State Senate of blocking an appointment to the Western Michigan University Board of Trustees because the nominee is gay."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/04/19/michigan-dems-accuse-gop-blocking-trustee-being-gay

April 14, 2022

"Clemson University’s College Republicans condemned a drag show staged Saturday as part of LGBTQ+ pride week celebrations, prompting outrage among students and a tepid response from the administration."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/04/14/drag-show-clemson-infuriates-college-republicans

April 8, 2022

"The U.S. Department of Education will soon release its proposed regulation on Title IX, the landmark federal law banning sexual violence and discrimination in educational settings. The Biden administration’s rule will direct how colleges that receive federal funding should investigate and potentially punish sexual misconduct."

More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/what-7-experts-want-included-in-bidens-new-title-ix-regulation/621831/

April 8, 2022

"The U.S. Department of Education will soon release its proposed regulation on Title IX, the landmark federal law banning sexual violence and discrimination in educational settings. The Biden administration’s rule will direct how colleges that receive federal funding should investigate and potentially punish sexual misconduct."

More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/what-7-experts-want-included-in-bidens-new-title-ix-regulation/621831/

April 8, 2022

"Insisting a professor call a student by their correct pronouns will cost Shawnee State University $400,000."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/04/18/shawnee-state-pays-professor-400k-settle-pronoun-lawsuit

April 7, 2022

"Fifteen Republican state attorneys general are urging the U.S. Department of Education to abandon its efforts to rework the regulations under Title IX, the federal law barring sex-based discrimination in schools. "

More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/15-republican-attorneys-general-urge-ed-dept-to-halt-title-ix-rule-change/621690/

April 7, 2022

"A South Carolina jury awarded a former Clemson University student $5.3 million on defamation and civil conspiracy claims last week, the result of a five-year legal battle stemming from unfounded charges of sexual misconduct in 2015."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/04/07/jury-awards-falsely-accused-former-clemson-student-53-million

March 31, 2022

"The Education Department is planning rules that state clearly that Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protects transgender students, The Washington Post reported."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/03/31/education-dept-plans-title-ix-rules-protect-transgender-status

March 30, 2022

"State lawmakers have proposed a record 238 anti-LGBTQ+ bills so far this year, according to an analysis by NBC News—nearly six times as many as in all of 2018. They range from a proposed school library ban on books about sexual or gender identity in Oklahoma to legislation prohibiting scholars from publicly discussing or teaching 'LGBT issues or lifestyle' in Tennessee."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/03/30/state-anti-lgbtq-legislation-hurts-college-students

March 30, 2022

"Discrimination against transgender students would be a violation of federal civil rights law under proposed regulations the Education Department is expected to finalize in the coming weeks."

More at Washington Post at www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/03/30/transgender-discrimination-title-ix-rule-students/

March 29, 2022

"A group of former collegiate swimmers sent a letter to the NCAA Board of Governors last week arguing that it 'failed everyone' by allowing transgender University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas to compete."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/03/29/arizona-grads-blast-ncaa-letting-trans-swimmer-compete

March 28, 2022

"Calvin University has long prohibited its employees from pursuing same-sex relationships, but Nicole Sweda didn’t think officials at the evangelical university ever enforced the policy."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/03/28/calvin-spins-research-center-avoid-firing-gay-worker

April 27, 2022

"There is a further problem with the committee’s objection to laws treating antisemitism as 'a special form of discrimination.' Until the U.S. Supreme Court’s Bostock decision in 2020, it was unclear whether gay and transgender people were covered by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination 'on the basis of sex' but does not specifically address sexual orientation or gender identity. In the interim, many states and municipalities admirably enacted statutes and ordinances specifically protecting gay and other LGBT+ individuals from discrimination in housing and employment. By the committee’s reasoning, states should have refrained from addressing such 'special form[s] of discrimination' until the courts caught up to our contemporary understanding of equality. In fact, anti-LGBT+ activists routinely made arguments almost identical to the committee’s view of antisemitism, objecting to what they deemed 'special rights' for LGBT+ people."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/views/2022/04/27/aaup-errs-taking-sides-defining-antisemitism-opinion

March 23, 2022

"Two protests, two law schools, two controversial speakers. The difference? One event went ahead, despite repeated disruptions, at Yale Law School. The other, at the University of California Hastings College of the Law, descended into chaos: the speaker was unable to eke out more than a few words before students shut him down, chanting, clapping and banging on desks in protest."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/03/23/law-student-protests-stifle-speakers-yale-uc-hastings

March 22, 2022

"For years, Calvin University, a leading evangelical school in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has tried to walk a fine line of being welcoming to LGBTQ students while still enforcing traditional Christian Reformed Church views on sexuality."

More at Religion News Service at https://religionnews.com/2022/03/22/a-same-sex-marriage-reveals-tension-at-calvin-university-a-major-evangelical-school/

March 21, 2022

"After a record-breaking season in the spotlight, Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer at the University of Pennsylvania, claimed NCAA championship gold in the 500-yard freestyle Thursday."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/03/21/trans-swimmer-claims-ncaa-women%E2%80%99s-championship

March 17, 2022

"Had Bersani written only these slim but ambitious early volumes, his intellectual contribution would already be substantial. But the coming of AIDS prompted him to re-apply this analysis from the cultural field to the world of suffering bodies in which he was enmeshed, with field-transforming results."

More at Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/remembering-leo-bersani

March 16, 2022

"Michael O’Keefe, a longtime professor of graphic design at Oklahoma Christian University, says he was fired for inviting a gay speaker to a class discussion about overcoming personal challenges, according to KFOR."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/03/16/university-allegedly-fired-prof-inviting-gay-speaker

March 8, 2022

"Iowa joins a growing number of states banning the participation of transgender students on athletic teams that align with their gender identity. States including Idaho, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas have all passed similar legislation. Additional states have proposed the idea. "

More at Higher Ed Dive at www.highereddive.com/news/were-not-going-to-stand-by-idly-cardona-says-amid-growing-transgender-a/620057/

March 7, 2022

"Last year, the Common Application announced changes to better serve transgender students. The application added a question to provide applicants with the option to share their preferred first name, added a pronoun question that gives students the option to select multiple options or add their pronoun set, and shifted the presentation of a question from 'sex' to 'legal sex' to reduce student confusion. (Colleges are required to ask students’ legal name and sex to meet reporting laws.)"

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2022/03/07/common-app-changes-language-serve-transgender-students

March 7, 2022

"An antitransgender speaker was blocked from speaking at the University of North Texas Wednesday, setting off more controversies, NBC Channel 5 reported."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/03/07/anti-trans-speaker-blocked-u-north-texas

February 7, 2022

"The University of Iowa found faculty members violated the speech rights of a master’s student accused of telling classmates that 'homosexual conduct' was against his religious beliefs and that they were 'immoral' because they were less religious, according to The Gazette."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/02/07/u-iowa-professors-faulted-student-speech-complaint

March 3, 2022

"Researchers who didn’t disclose their LGBTQA identities in the workplace authored fewer peer-reviewed publications and those who did disclose their sexual orientation had publication counts more like non-LGBTQA peers, according to new survey-based study in PLOS One."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/03/03/productivity-costs-and-nondisclosure-queer-identity

March 2, 2022

"Legislation to defund gender and women’s studies at the University of Wyoming has stoked faculty fears about how far lawmakers will go to stop public colleges from teaching courses they don’t like."

More at Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/dangerous-ground-republican-lawmakers-target-gender-studies-at-u-of-wyoming

March 2, 2022

"The mental health establishment has a difficult past when it comes to the LGBTIQ+ community. Although all major mental health organizations have now established guidelines affirming the identities of LGBTIQ+ people, these individuals still face stigma in everyday society, ranging from mild disapproval, to employment or housing discrimination, to victimization and violence."

More at Academic Minute at https://academicminute.org/2022/03/bryan-cochran-university-of-montana-the-health-and-well-being-of-lgbtqi-individuals/

March 2, 2022

"The Supreme Court rejected an appeal Monday by Gordon College of a ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court that its professors who do not teach religion or religious texts are not covered by the 'ministerial exception.'”

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/03/02/four-supreme-court-justices-want-broaden-ministerial-exception

February 16, 2022

"Sue Bergin, a longtime adjunct professor of management communication, says Brigham Young University fired her because of her LGBTQ advocacy, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. Bergin says she was in good standing and about to be promoted to director of a campus business writing center when her department chair called her in December and apologetically said she couldn’t come back to work. No one has given her an answer as to why, Bergin told the Tribune, so she can only guess it’s because she wears a rainbow flag pin on the first day of classes and sometimes mentions that she has two gay brothers."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/02/16/byu-professor-says-she-was-let-go-lgbtq-advocacy

February 4, 2022

"Sixteen swimmers at the University of Pennsylvania sent an anonymous letter to Ivy League and college officials on Thursday expressing their belief that transgender teammate Lia Thomas should not be allowed to compete due to physical advantages, The Washington Post reported."

More at Inside Higher Ed at https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/02/04/penn-swimmers-take-aim-trans-teammate-anonymous-letter

February 3, 2022

"Sixteen members of the University of Pennsylvania women’s swimming team sent a letter to school and Ivy League officials Thursday asking that they not take legal action challenging the NCAA’s recently updated transgender policy. That updated directive has the potential to prevent Penn swimmer Lia Thomas from competing at next month’s NCAA championships, and the letter indicates the 16 other swimmers believe their teammate should be sidelined."

More at Washington Post at www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/02/03/lia-thomas-penn-swimming-teammates/

February 2, 2022

"Several Wayne State students who identify as transgender or nonbinary have experienced discrimination due to their gender identity."

More at The South End at www.thesouthend.wayne.edu/features/article_5db72bf4-8610-11ec-bea0-3b6f0fa47826.html 

February 2, 2022

"From 2017 through 2020, Campus Pride Index (CPI) ranked Oakland University the most LGBTQIA+ friendly campus in Michigan. As of 2022, OU is no longer number one on the list — the university is third in the state. "

More at The Oakland Post at https://oaklandpostonline.com/40295/features/where-ou-stands-as-an-lgbtqia-friendly-campus/

February 2, 2022

"Professor emeritus or emerita—the gender-dependent title some faculty members are awarded upon retirement—signals esteem, accomplishment and, often, continued involvement in campus life. But does it have to signal male or female? Professors at two Oregon institutions think that it doesn’t, and that it shouldn’t. So they’re asking their colleagues to consider adopting a gender-neutral alternative."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/02/02/push-oregon-gender-neutral-retired-faculty-titles

January 27, 2022

"To the greater sports world, Thomas represents something entirely different: a challenge in thinking about competition in a new era where gender is seemingly as fluid as the pools Thomas has dominated since joining the Penn women’s swim team this season, greatly surpassing the success she previously experienced in three years competing on the men’s team."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/01/27/what-success-trans-swimmer-lia-thomas-means-ncaa

January 27, 2022

"Brigham Young University has faced simmering criticism for years over its treatment of LGBTQ students."

More at Chronicle of Higher Education at www.chronicle.com/article/i-want-to-believe-at-byu-opponents-of-rules-on-same-sex-couples-welcome-federal-action

January 27, 2022

"In the past year, legislators in several states have introduced or passed bills that would ban persons who are biologically male from competing on women’s sports teams. In the first five months of 2021 alone, five governors signed bills banning biologically male individuals from women’s sports in some capacity. The goal of such policies is clear: to make competitive sports fair for females, specifically by acknowledging the biological differences between the two sexes and placing students on teams accordingly."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/views/2022/01/27/biological-males-should-not-play-womens-athletic-teams-opinion

January 25, 2022

"The Common App began asking students what name and pronouns they use during the current admission cycle, meaning about 900 colleges now receive applications from students who are identified by names and pronouns of their choosing in addition to their legal names and genders assigned at birth."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/01/25/colleges-update-systems-include-preferred-pronouns-names

January 21, 2022

"The Education Department is investigating Brigham Young University to determine whether its punishments for gay students violate Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. It is unusual for the department to investigate a religious college, like Brigham Young, because they are exempt from Title IX enforcement in most areas. A complaint was filed against Brigham Young in 2020, when the university changed its honor code, removing a ban on 'homosexual behavior.' But a few weeks later, after some students came out on campus, the university clarified that same-sex partnerships would still be banned."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/01/21/education-department-investigates-brigham-young%E2%80%99s-treatment-gay-students

January 3, 2022

"A new California law, which took effect Jan. 1, requires the state’s public institutions to update records for students who have legally changed their names and allows graduates to request an updated copy of their diploma at no additional cost. Advocates say that could greatly benefit transgender and gender-nonconforming students."

More at Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2022/01/03/calif-student-records-must-be-updated-honor-name-changes