Lately, the gay marriage debate has been a hot topic. It has been no secret that this has continued to be a divisive issue not only in Washington but throughout the whole country. Heavyweights in the White House and Entertainment Industry have come out in support of gay marriage. Recently President Obama and former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton voiced their support for gay marriage. And just this past Tuesday, Earvin Johnson III, Magic Johnson’s son came out as gay. The LGBT community has become a powerful force and not one to be ignored when it comes to legislation.
According to a study by the Williams Institute, “approximately 3.5% of American adults identify themselves as lesbian, gay or bisexual, while 0.3% are transgender—which would correspond to approximately 11.7 million Americans as of the 2010 Census”. Other notable statistics included a breakdown by race. The study continues stating “Minorities were more likely to identify as non-heterosexual; 4.6% of blacks, 4.0% of Hispanics and 3.2% of whites. Younger people, aged 18-29, were three times more likely to identify as LGBT than seniors over the age of 65, the numbers being 6.4% and 1.9%, respectively”.
Many college campuses are taking this information into account and providing supportive programs for LGBT members. USC is one of those providing resources to their students. Through their LGBT Peer Mentoring Program, they “help students develop a positive LGBT identity while successfully adapting to life at USC”. College is overwhelming for the average student so providing additional support for LGBT community members helps to further bridge this gap. The mentors have required training and monthly meetings. Some of the program goals for mentors are:
- Connect your mentee to USC and local Los Angeles resources.
- Have fun together and learn as much from your mentee as s/he learns from you
For mentees:
- Setting and achieving personally meaningful goals.
- Exploring your multiple identities (e.g. gender, cultural, religious, etc.).
- Finding a comfortable place in the community (e.g. USC, Los Angeles, etc.).
- Discovering your purpose in life (e.g. your career path).
- Developing mature relationships (e.g. friends, dating, accessing faculty, etc.)
- Creating a balanced lifestyle (e.g. work, rest, and play time!)
The USC LGBT Mentoring program is step in the right direction to providing equal opportunity for everyone. It serves as a model for advocating success through peer mentoring.
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