• Included a request in the upcoming budget for increased student support services, including for our LGBTQ and other diverse groups;
• Provided key training in transgender issues for student leaders, Physical Plant employees and officers in our UofL Police Department, with future training planned for additional members of the campus community;
• Assessed and begun to make changes to our housing procedures to ensure fairness to all students.

As such, LGBTQ+ Pride Month is celebrated in the U.S. every June to honor the Stonewall riots.

The month allows us time to reflect on the history and progress of this movement, as well as the contributions made by LGBTQ+ Americans. At the University of Louisville, we have many points of pride to celebrate our LGBTQ+ community, this month and beyond.Ěý Ěý

Last year, for example, UofL was named among America’s “Best of the Best” LGBTQ-friendly universities for the sixth year, earning five out of five stars from the Campus Pride Index. UofL was recognized for attributes such as counseling and health, student life, recruitment and retention efforts and institutional commitment.

That commitment was amplified in 2007, when UofL became the first university in Kentucky to offer health insurance benefits to LGBTQ+ employees and the first school to open an office for LGBTQ+ services.

Since then, UofL has also established the country’s first endowed chair in LGBT Studies, created an LGBT studies minor and added gender identity and expression to the campus nondiscrimination policy.

Further, UofL was the first school in the South to open a themed housing community for students interested in LGBT issues and social justice, and offered the South’s first LGBT-themed study-abroad experience.

In 2013, ±«´Ç´Úł˘â€™s LGBT Center opened a satellite office on the Health Sciences Center campus and began a multi-year effort to infuse the medical school curriculum with new LGBT competencies from the Association of American Medical Colleges. This UofL curriculum initiated a national movement for LGBT medical education throughout the United States and Canada by demonstrating successful implementation of the competencies.Ěý

±«´Ç´Úł˘â€™s has since broken enrollment records and is a big step toward achieving health equity.

But our work doesn’t stop there. The institution has also led research efforts to bring Kentucky’s relatively unexplored LGBTQ history to the forefront. This work to preserve Kentucky’s LGBTQ history was recently done in association with the Fairness Campaign and .

These efforts simply scratch the surface of the work UofL is doing to promote an . We also host a Cardinal OUTlook day for prospective LGBTQ+ students, offer LGBTQ-inclusive career services, boast LGBTQ clubs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, offer a name change option for transgender employees and students, provide LGBTQ student scholarships and more.

Our work is not done. We will continue to build on our efforts as part of our strategic plan – approved in August 2019 – that strives to position UofL as a great place to learn, work and in which to invest because we celebrate diversity, foster equity and strive for inclusion.

A new campaign is attempting to change that statistic in the Louisville area.

“Embrace the Journey,” led by Ryan Combs, PhD, assistant professor, University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences, and Maurice Gattis, PhD, associate professor, UofL Kent School of Social Work, began with one question: “How can we make a difference in LGBTQ mental health?”

“We wanted to understand the health needs of LGBTQ adolescents in Louisville. We learned that the largest concern locally is mental health, especially depression, anxiety and suicidality,” Combs said. “We designed a campaign to target parents because they play such a key role in the mental health of LGBTQ youth.”

In 2017, ±«´Ç´Úł˘â€™s LGBTQ+ Adolescent Health Study was launched – the first of its kind in Louisville. The study found 100 percent of participants had heard homophobic or transphobic language, 61 percent felt unsafe and 27 percent had experienced physical violence at school. To combat these findings, “Embrace the Journey” was developed through the guidance of local health providers, public health professionals, LGBTQ+ youth and community members.

The campaign launched recently, as organizers spoke to participants and handed out posters at Louisville Pride. The posters read: “LGBTQ+ youth are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, and suicide – supportive parents greatly reduce this risk.”

Through the campaign’s website, , parents can find hundreds of resources, including advice from other parents, personal narratives from youth and a glossary of LGBTQ vocabulary.

The campaign was developed with grant funding from both the Cooperative Consortium Transdisciplinary Social Justice Research and JustFundKY, and operates closely with Louisville Youth Group.

“Though educating their parents can’t solve everything LGBTQ+ youth face, it’s a great place to start especially when the statistics speak so loudly for themselves,” Combs said. “When parents support their kids, youth have better mental health outcomes.”

The celebration was attended by certificate recipients, in addition to Dean Craig Blakely (School of Public Health and Information Sciences), Dean Toni Ganzel (School of Medicine), Dean Sonya Hardin (School of Nursing), and Associate Dean Dr. Margaret Hill (School of Dentistry).

“It’s incredibly powerful to witness such a large amount of providers, students and community members take advantage of the training opportunities made available through the certificate program. Research shows that the health disparities that exist among LGBTQ+ community are quite significant. These current and future providers are doing the work to help better understand how to close this gap,” said Aaron Weathers, assistant director of the LGBT Center, Health Sciences Center.

In order to receive the LGBT Health Certificate, all 93 certificate awardees were required to participate in at least four content modules, available in-person and online, which covered a broad range of topics related to LGBTQ+ health. Additionally, participants were also required to attend a patient simulation session in which LGBTQ+ community members acted out patient encounters with participants based on real-life scenarios and offer feedback.

“The LGBT Health Certificate program is a great example of ourĚýinstitution’s commitment to programs that support inclusive excellence and health equity,” Ganzel said. “It makes me so proud of the faculty, staff and students who completed this program, and now have a better understanding of how to effectively supportĚýour LGBTQ students and colleagues, in addition to gaining a better understanding of the unique healthcare needs of our LGBTQĚýpatients.”

Information about the 2019-20 LGBT Health Certificate Series will be announced this summer.Ěý

The Alternative Service Break Board at the University of Louisville is a program of the Engage Lead Serve Board with a mission to create active citizens through direct service. Since 2015, Alternative Service Break Board (ASBB) has been impacting local, national and international communities.

This ASB trip focused on the LGBTQ+ Youth and Homeless populations in Atlanta and the issues surrounding their circumstances. Our group became immersed into the culture of Atlanta by staying in the Lydia House, which is an renovated church in the center of the city. We volunteered for four days at various locations that focus on LGBTQ+ Youth and Homeless citizens. Most of us on the trip have a close connection to one or both of these populations.

We left in December, the day after finals. Throughout the course of our trip, we worked alongside three non-profit organizations. The first, called City of Light,Ěýhelps create safe spaces for all people. Here, we deconstructed office spaces and classrooms, moved furniture and chairs, and helped organize and create pamphlets for people who wanted to be members of this organization. Our group chose to work with the City of Light because of its commitment to creating safe spaces for students and other folks who identity on the the LGBTQ+ spectrum.

Our second location was Lost-N-Found, which is an non-profit dedicated to end homeless for the LGBTQ+ Youth. Here, we organized clothing, books and CDs for the organization’s thrift shop. We also created more than 100 hygiene and care packages for its nonprofit arm, called CHRIS 180. While we dropped off the kits, we were able to tour different spaces and programs that are available to the people of Atlanta.Ěý

We chose this organization because its proceeds go toward outreach, a transitional home and an LGBTQ+ Youth center.Ěý

On the last day of the trip, we traveled throughout Atlanta to different museums and local hot spots, such as the Civil Rights and Human Rights Museum, Centennial Park, and the Flying Biscuit Cafe.

Overall, our was a success because it was the first completely student-run trip outside of the state of Kentucky. Our work with the three different organizations made up a total of 340 hours of community service, which equates to a full-time employee working for 8.5 weeks.

Our overall purpose was to focus on how an individual or group can leave an great impact on a local or national community. Since our return, we are now more equipped to serve the Louisville community with a passion for service.

The school calls the banner a “symbolic of our commitment to championing LGBTQ+ issues, promoting LGBTQ+ rights and affirming LGBTQ+ identities.”

A commemoration ceremony was held Monday to officially unveil the banner, which includes the traditional rainbow colors, as well as a brown and black stripe.

“We really wanted to make sure that we honored all of the intersectional identities that are presented in the LGBTQ community, so that’s why you see the brown and black stripes,” said Kent professor Dr. Emma Sterrett, acknowledging the need to especially bring awareness to the disproportionate killings of trans women of color.Ěý

Kent School Dean David Jenkins said he was excited about the opportunity to take a stance, and to “take a small step to be visible about social justice.”

“The fight for dignity and equality is not done by just the LGBTQ community alone. We need everyone to be a part,” Jenkins said. “Our work is not over.”Ěý

Some of that continued work, he added, includes:Ěý

• Better understand needs of older LGBTQ adults
• Fight against harmful practices such as conversion therapies and making sure students have safe spaces
• Remain committed to addressing health disparities in community

“A banner like this reminds us to be visible to be proud of who we are,” Jenkins said. “LGBT individuals deserve to know they have others who stand beside them. The Kent school and UofL are part of the effort to make this a better and more just society.”Ěý

Pride Week is a series of events hosted by the center, which aims to create a safe, inclusive community for everyone regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity and expression. Events continue through Nov. 7.

“As I look at the last 10 years, Pride Week is one of the highlights of the experience for me,” said Brian Buford, assistant provost for diversity & LGBT Center executive director. “It’s a time to celebrate with the entire campus community and to affirm our commitment to being an inclusive and welcoming place.”

There will be two keynote speakers during Pride Week, Jonathan Higgins and Noell Rowan. Higgins, an editor for Campus Pride and Lambda Literary writing fellow, will speak on topics related to intersectionality, race, gender and sexuality. Rowan, professor and associate director of the school of social work at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, will speak on topics including the unique challenges for aging LGBT people and awareness of clinical and social needs of LGBT communities.

Higgins’ talk begins at 7 p.m. Nov. 2 in Strickler Hall, Middleton Auditorium, Belknap Campus. Rowan’s talk is from 12 to 1 p.m., Oct. 31 at the Health Science Center, Kornhauser Auditorium, 500 S. Preston Street.

In addition to the keynotes, Pride Week schedule highlights include:

• Belknap Pride Kickoff & Resource Fair: Oct. 30, noon to 2 p.m., Red Barn & West Plaza. Resource fair, free food and flag raising ceremony.
• Queering your Career: Career Exploration and Preparation for LGBTQ+ Students: Oct. 31, 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., Student Activities Center, Room 309K. Free lunch and panel discussion.
• Health Sciences Center Pride Picnic & Resource Fair: Nov. 1, 11:30 a.m to 1 p.m., Health Sciences Center courtyard. Resource fair, free food and music.

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UofL earned five out of five stars in the Campus Pride Index, released this week by Campus Pride, a national nonprofit organization that rates colleges and universities according to their support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.

Additionally, UofL is theĚýonly public institution in the south to be recognized by the organization.Ěý

In order to be in the Top 25 listing, an institution had to score the highest percentages in the LGBTQ-friendly benchmarks for policies, programs and practices.

The Campus Pride Index is designed to help campuses learn ways to improve their LGBT campus life and shape the educational experience to be more inclusive, welcoming and respectful. It also provides students a tool for finding inclusive schools.

Brian Buford, assistant provost for diversity and director of the LGBT Center, commended work happening university-wide in support of LGBTQ students, including a LGBT Studies minor program, the School of Medicine’s curriculum infusion efforts, and LGBT meeting space at the J.B. Speed School of Engineering.

The Campus Pride Index cited several reasons for ±«´Ç´Úł˘â€™s high ranking, including having an LGBT Center that offers a variety of programs for the campus community, LGBTQ inclusive career services, LGBTQ clubs at the undergraduate and graduate level, trans-inclusive healthcare, free and anonymous HIV/STI testing, and LGBTQ student scholarships

“As we celebrate the , this is a great affirmation that our campus is on the right track,” said Buford. “We have a new vision for the next five years that is pretty exciting and will take us even further in becoming the school of choice for LGBT students.”

Story, who lives in Louisville with her wife Missy, was recognized by NBC Out for “opening hearts and minds in Kentucky.” She is the mastermind behind many courses at UofL that deal with gender, sexuality, race and the intersection of those identities, such as “Queer Perspectives in Literature and Film” and “Black Lesbian Lives.”

“In every course, I out myself at the beginning so my students never get away from intersectionality,” she told NBC Out.Ěý

For the series, Story said,” Being proud of oneself means not letting society define you, but for you to feel emboldened enough to define who you are on your own.”Ěý

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For those ready to take that step, a March 31 event at the Gheens Science Hall and Rauch Planetarium might be exactly what they are looking for.

A free, public event from 2-3 p.m. at the planetarium will feature two virtual-reality clips shown on the planetarium’s 55-foot, immersive dome:

• “” gives viewers a chance to experience a day in the life of a Kenyan girl as she copes with extreme poverty. The video shows the young girl as she travels vast distances to fetch water, gather wood and, after dark, walk to a nearby town so she will have lights to complete her school work.

• “” shows the exuberance of gay pride parades from around the world. The clip was first shown during a 2016 LGBTQ event in Louisville and was so popular attendees rated it as the best session of the conference.Ěý

After the clips are shown, there will be a discussion about how to harness of the power of virtual reality film-making in the Louisville community.

The conversation will be facilitated by Aukram Burton, executive director of Kentucky Center for African American Heritage; Dean Otto, curator of film for the Speed Art Museum; Leo Osborne, founder of a video and digital communications firm; and Nathaniel Spencer, who runs a video services company and is a Louisville Film Commission advisory board member.