The Princeton Review survey of students has determined that Auburn and Samford Universities are not gay friendly. Samford is number 12 and Auburn is number 19 in their “not gay friendly” list.
Auburn University
Since 1994 Auburn the Auburn Gay/ Lesbian/Bisexual Caucus has promoted equality and advocacy for faculty, staff, and students of Auburn University who are Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual.
People who are Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual are part of the Auburn Family and always have been at all levels of the University. Unfortunately, the sociopolitical environment at Auburn has not been one of inclusivity but of exclusivity for this segment the Auburn Family. This situation has led to feelings of stigmatization, isolation, and fear for the hundreds of people at Auburn who are Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual.
At Auburn University, a staff or faculty person could be fired from his or her position for simply being Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual. Many staff and faculty live daily with the fear that discovery of their sexual/affectional orientation would lead to their job termination. There is little legal recourse via official Auburn University policies for an appeal of this type of decision as there is no protection from discrimination based on sexual/affectional orientation. The same holds true for students living in campus housing. A student could be removed from campus housing for being Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual as there are no official Auburn University policies protecting students based on sexual/affectional orientation. Harassment and discrimination occur every day on Auburn's campus. These can take the forms of: a letter written to the editor of a campus publication bashing members of the Auburn Family who are Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual; verbal assaults hurled from a passing car; or the fear of punishment for writing for a class or a campus publication anything positive on Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual issues.
There is an abundance of work to be done: overt and covert individual and institutional discrimination, harassment, and violence against people who are Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual are still allowed and sanctioned by the State of Alabama and its agencies. Progress and success, however, occurs every day! The AGLBC is on the forefront of working with Auburn University to more genuinely embrace its mission of student, staff, and faculty development for all.
There is no mention of transgender in the above, but in their Constitution the following statements are found.
Educate the Auburn University community and raise awareness of issues and concerns important to faculty, staff, and students who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender.
Advocate on behalf of faculty, staff, and students who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender.
Auburn University’s Equal Opportunity policy includes sexual orientation, but not gender identity:
Auburn University recognizes its ethical and legal obligation to provide a work environment in which employment opportunities are open to all qualified individuals without discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, disability, or covered veteran status. As a matter of policy, Auburn University prohibits sexual orientation discrimination in employment decisions regarding hiring, promotion, and termination.
Auburn University is committed to the following principles:
Recruiting, hiring, training, retaining, and promoting individuals, in all job classifications, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation, except where sex, age, national origin, or disability are bona fide occupational qualifications.
Auburn has a Strategic Diversity Plan which is updated each year. The 2009 update includes the following.
An official definition of diversity has been created:
Diversity at Auburn University encompasses the whole of human experience and includes such human qualities as race, gender, ethnicity, physical ability, nationality, age, religion, sexual orientation, economic status, and veteran status. These and other socially and historically important attributes reflect the complexity of our increasingly diverse student body, local community, and national population.
They also have listed a tactic which reads:
The Multicultural Center makes every effort to support the tradition and heritage of individuals from different races, cultures, religion, ethnicities and sexual orientation as can be reflected in the visual displays they sponsor through the office.
Samford University
Samford University’s current policy regarding sexuality is as follows:
Sexual misconduct is defined in this handbook as including, but not limited to, heterosexual/homosexual intercourse, unwanted fondling, adultery and rape.
As recently as 2007, however, their handbook defined sexual misconduct as “Including, but not limited to, the following: sexual intercourse, adultery, unwanted fondling, rape and homosexual acts” and carried a fine of $75.
Their Equal Opportunity statement does not include sexual orientation and is as follows:
Samford does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, disability, age, or national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational polices, admissions policies, employment policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletics and other school administered programs.
For more info: Auburn Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual Caucus, Samford 2008 Student Handbook, Auburn EEO Policy, Auburn Diversity Update 2009, Princeton Review
Comments
I always felt educational institutions like these two were to enlighten ignorant people of the changing world. I would think twice before hiring anyone holding diplomas from these schools!
S. Leong
CEO A. Design Ctr. of Hawaii
As an AU alum and a current staff member of PFLAG National [Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays], I encourage Dr. Gogue to continue to expand the definition of diversity to include gender identity. As a temporary transplant and recent employee of AU, I was frankly shocked at how often a prayer was offered at various business lunches and other functions. I don't hold out much hope that the culture will change anytime soon, as sad as that makes me. I hope that LGBT people and their families and friends will reach out to the PFLAG chapters in the state if they need any support. We are working hard to change laws and work for equality on all fronts.
Thanks, Cindy. I should mention that I am an AU alum as well (9 years, 2 degrees). Also, I appreciate PFLAG (note that I have a link to the Bham chapter in my list)and their advocacy.
When I was at Auburn (in the 70's) things were a lot different. I just had a conversation with an alum from the 60's who spoke of conditions and of closeted gays (of prominence) during his time there. So things are better now, and hopefully further change will come quicker than you expect.
When I attended Auburn and worked at the RBD, I knew several gay staff members who were out in the open and had no fears of losing their jobs.
Can someone explain why "transgender" people get lumped in with gays and lesbians? I'm not sure what a transgender person (someone who thinks his or her gender is different than what his or her natural body parts suggest) has in common with gays and lesbians (people who accept their gender as male or female and find themselves attracted to other males or females, respectively).
Steve - thanks for sharing your prejudices. I'm an Auburn grad who has no issue with gays or lesbians. Comments like yours, however, make me glad that my position is based on my sense of right/wrong and justice rather than whether gays/lesbians appreciate my position.
God made Adam and Eve not Adam and Steve!!!
Hunter,
As a member of the GLBT community my take is that transgender people are a sexual minority, just as gay and lesbian people are. So we lump us all together.
I ignored Steve's comment.
Jesus,
then who made Steve?
Thanks, Joe.
I am currently attending auburn. I can tell you from experience that the experience of going to this school is like that of a high school. The social life on campus is all about the football games. Auburn doesn't harbor an attitude of learning. Put that atmosphere in a small town in the middle of conservative Christian America, and you get an environment of occlusion. I am currently seeing a shrink to deal with the mental aspect of feeling totally isolated.
I am also currently attending Auburn, and, for the most part, have greatly enjoyed my time here. I will say, however, that the campus and administration does have a conservative lean to it (as noted by the very prominent Pro-Life displays over the past several years.) Furthermore, I do wish that Auburn was more openly LGBT friendly, because I feel that I have not been able to grow as a gay individual. With this said, there seems to be two varieties of gays here: 1) loud, obnoxious ones that inadvertently play to gay stereotypes 2) closeted ones that are too afraid to even breath--Quite the desired mix for a healthy LGBT presence, wouldn't you say? In any case, I have made wonderful (straight) friends at Auburn that I will have for a lifetime, and I am truly grateful for that. I just wish that Auburn would open up just a little bit more instead of grooming a sense of a 1950's family friendly, southern oasis. Overall, I have gotten a great education here and I would attend Auburn again.
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