Stonewall rates UK universities
The checklist used by Stonewall involved 10 items that Stonewall rated as being important to student life and academic achievement. The checklist includes asking the following questions of your university.
- Is there a policy against bullying for lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) students?
- Does the university have mandatory staff training about LGB issues?
- Is there a LGB staff network?
- Is there a LGB student society and how visible is this group?
- Does the university supply LGB-specific information?
- Does the university facilitate LGB events and how well are these events promoted?
- Is support available for LGB students, for example can LGB students access suitably qualified counselors?
Pink Families congratulates Stonewall on producing such a wonderful guide. The Stonewall guide can serve as a useful template for others around the world. Asking these questions may help work out which university will provide the most supportive environment for you. It can also be used to help universities improve what they offer.
Why is this guide important?
Having a supportive college environment is important. It helps with the development of self-esteem, positive identity, networking and confidence. Environments that fail to provide these environments may compromise students’ abilities to excel.
As universities around the world move toward fee-based degrees, LGBTIQ students should be able to expect that the universities will fulfill their duty of care responsibilities by providing supportive environments, especially as these environments also have the potential to influence academic outcomes and progress.
Find out more here.
