Another Survey

This time it is for law students on their views on LGBTQ+ rights…

Law School LGBTQ 'Climate Survey' Results Are Fair to Partly Cloudy
ALM Medi
April 23, 2019

Law schools are generally supportive of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students and employees—at least on paper.

That’s the takeaway from the National LGBT Bar Association's inaugural Law School Climate Survey-2019. The 30-year-old organization that works to promote diversity and inclusion throughout the legal industry queried all 203 law schools accredited by the American Bar Association on 19 different issues, ranging from LGBTQ+ student recruiting efforts to the availability of gender inclusive restrooms. (LGBTQ+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer identifying.) Only 66 schools participated, but their responses indicate that, on the whole, schools have many policies in place to support the inclusion of LGBTQ+ students and resources available to help them navigate their legal education.

Among the results:

• All but one school reported that counseling and therapy services are available. (Southern University Law Center was the only respondent to answer no to that question.)
• More than 80 percent of the respondent schools reported that they seek out LGBTQ+ students.
• Just five schools reported that they do not have an active LGBTQ+ law student group.
• All but a handful of law schools allows transgender students to use the name of their choice.

“I feel heartened by what I’m seeing law schools having an increased awareness of the need for them to support their students,” said Judi O’Kelley, the bar association’s chief program officer. “I see, particularly in admissions and career services, a genuine interest and desire to do more targeted recruitment of LGBTQ+ students and to make sure they are well supported in finding jobs as they get out of law school.”

Of the 66 universities they survey the only one I recognize is Western New England University School of Law and looking at the data from the university I was surprised to find…

12. Does your law school offer transition-related health benefits to transgender and/or transitioning employees?
No

13. Does your school offer the same transition-related healthcare benefits to students and their partners/spouses?
No

What I find surprising is that they have basically the same law in Massachusetts as Connecticut and in both states the law was written by the same person and they are a professor at the university.
Like many protected and marginalized community it is hard to get exact numbers, the article states,

“A number of schools are hesitant to count their out LGBTQ+ faculty and administrators,” she said. “I’ve been talking to them about, ‘It’s OK to do that. It’s OK to do what’s known as a self-ID survey, as long as it’s a voluntary process and there are protections taken so the information can be confidential if the people want it to be.’ It’s absolutely legal and it’s fine. We collect that data on the basis of race, ethnicity and gender.”

Let’s face it many LGBTQ+ faculty don’t want to “Out” themselves in fear of repercussions.

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I spoke at the Western New England University School of Law LGBTQ+ student organization called OUTlaw. Since it was a law school I spoke on how the laws affect the trans community.