The Worst List is made by the organization: Campus Pride, which strives to make campuses safer for LGBTQ+ students.
They are a non-profit that has worked around the United States since 2002, but it was founded in 2001.
The list currently contains 180 of the worst campuses for LGBTQ+ youth. However, we’re not going to go through every single one.
In this list, we’ve found you the 15 worst schools for LGBTQ+ students and why.
If you want a more informed choice for choosing which college you wish to attend, check out the Worst List to find out about schools that aren’t on this list.
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is located in Utah, and it’s affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
This Mormon university has a well-documented history of anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination.
Their policies also put victims of sexual assault at risk, with staff discriminating against students and putting them at a higher risk of depression and suicide.
LGBTQ+ students are not allowed to show their individuality.
Many students and former students struggle with the isolation they had to endure by not being allowed to be open about their sexuality.
Baylor University
Baylor University is located in Waco, Texas, and is affiliated with Christian Baptism.
The university is discriminatory against its LGBTQ+ students and was cited in the lawsuit: Hunter v. the U.S. Department of Education.
This lawsuit was made due to the abuse LGBTQ+ students suffered while attending Baylor.
Students are harassed for their sexuality and gender and encouraged to seek counseling for conversion therapy.
Many of their LGBTQ+ students don’t have the same access to support and are also not allowed their own official student support group.
College Of The Ozarks
College of the Ozarks is located in Point Lookout in Missouri. It’s religiously affiliated with Evangelicalism and has a Presbyterian denomination.
The college is exempted from Title IX, a law prohibiting sex-based discrimination.
Of all the schools on this list, College of the Ozarks is the most conservative and unfriendly campus to LGBTQ+ students.
The College of the Ozarks claims they are allowed to discriminate against LGBTQ+ individuals as they argue that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 shouldn’t extend to sexual orientation or gender.
Gordon College
Gordon College is an interdenominational Christian college located in Wenham, Massachusetts.
There is a long history of anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination, even retaliating against a philosophy professor for speaking out against the college for not hiring sexually active members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Michael Lindsay, the president of Gordon College, even wanted a religious exemption to continue discriminating against LGBTQ+ students who would be protected until Title IX.
Grove City College
Grove City College is an Interdenominational Christian college in Grove City, Pennsylvania.
It’s one of the worst colleges for LGBTQ+ students and refuses to comply with Title IX’s non-discrimination provisions.
In 1984, the college went to the Supreme Court, who decided that due to its non-compliance, it does not qualify for federal grants, loans, or any other federal financial assistance.
Many staff members also partake in religious-based bigotry and condemn members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Their student handbook will also not tolerate pre-marital sex regardless of gender and anything they believe that goes against their Christian standards.
Wheaton College
Wheaton College is an Interdenominational Christian College in Wheaton, Illinois.
Wheaton has a well-documented and extensive account of anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination. Students have been assaulted for calling out treatment of LGBTQ+ students.
In one case, a student had an apple thrown at their head. Everyone is expected to oppose same-sex marriage and hosts lectures about conversion therapy.
Abilene Christian University
Abilene Christian University in Texas has a history of anti-LGBTQ discrimination and has been getting more aggressive with its policies.
Student employees are forbidden from having same-sex relationships, as staff and other faculty have also been forbidden.
While they have put out a statement about Christian values and the LGBTQ+ community, they have not taken any action to improve the inclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals on campus.
Andrews University
Andrews University is a Seventh-Day Adventist university in Berrien Springs, Michigan. It has an extensive history of anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination.
The college bans same-sex relationships, and official LGBTQ+ groups are forbidden on campus.
They also opposed a student-led bake sale that wanted to advocate for homeless youths in the LGBTQ+ community.
In 2021, the college put out a statement to try to improve how the public views them, but it only shows how they don’t comprehend the well-being of their LGBTQ+ students.
Biola University
Biola University is an Interdenominational Christian university in La Mirada, California.
It is exempt from Title IX and can discriminate against LGBTQ+ students based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Biola University also tried dismantling the California bill SB 1146, established to protect students from discrimination at Christian education institutions.
Due to their stance, Biola students and staff are at risk of discrimination and have protested for their rights.
Bob Jones University
Bob Jones University is an interdenominational Christian university in Greenville, South Carolina.
It is exempted from Title IX so that they can discriminate against students based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
There is a history of anti-LGBTQ discrimination here, where they have expelled students who are open about their sexuality and forbade same-sex relationships.
LGBTQ+ student groups are not officially allowed on campus.
Cedarville University
Cedarville University is an Independent Baptist college in Ohio.
It’s currently pending a Title IX exemption request, and some of its staff have signed a Nashville Statement condemning LGBTQ+ youths.
The staff openly condemns same-sex marriage and relationships.
Cedarville has even shut down student-run papers that showed the LGBTQ+ community in a positive light.
Franciscan University Of Steubenville
The Franciscan University of Steubenville is a Roman Catholic university in Ohio.
It is exempt from Title IX and can discriminate against LGBTQ+ students based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.
The university also has a history of producing Anti-LGBTQ pseudo-science courses, which several alumni exposed.
In one significant case, they equated homosexuality with violent crimes.
Liberty University
Liberty University is a Southern Baptist university in Lynchburg, Virginia.
It has a long history of discriminating against the LGBTQ+ community and has placed students in conversion therapy.
They have offered tuition discounts to the spouses of military personnel, but they deny these discounts to same-sex and trans spouses.
They are also affiliated with the Liberty Counsel, which has fought against LGBTQ+ rights.
Throughout the years, they have also vocally supported Donald Trump on campus and forbid same-sex relationships.
Oral Roberts University
Oral Roberts University is a Pentecostal university in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
It’s exempt from Title IX, which means it can discriminate against LGBTQ+ students based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
The university has openly condemned LGBTQ+ students on campus and has previously used Fitbits to monitor students’ sexual activity.
They have prevented students from attending due to their sexual orientation and have even sent some to conversion therapy.
Students who participate in sexual activity or engage in a same-sex relationship will be automatically suspended from the University.
Students must even pledge not to participate in homosexual activities at university.
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a college that is affiliated with Modern Orthodox Judaism. It’s located in New York City.
It has a long history of anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination, and it also worked to dismantle the California bill SB 1146, which was established to protect LGBTQ+ students from discrimination at religious education institutions.
Several alumni have spoken about how they felt like second-class citizens while studying at Yeshiva and alienated by staff and other students.
They have also not recognized any groups that celebrate Pride, despite officially not being allowed to ban these.
Final Thoughts
Many of the universities mentioned in this list are exempt from Title IX.
To go into more detail about Title IX, it’s a federal law that states that no one in the U.S. shall be excluded or discriminated against based on their sex, including gender and sexual orientation.
Previously, the Trump administration had changed this only to include biological sex, but Biden’s administration changed it in 2021.
Some schools can request an exemption from Title IX, which allows them to discriminate under the guise of religious freedom.
If they discriminate when they aren’t exempt, they will lose Federal funding.
These are only 15 of the worst schools for LGBTQ+ students, with around 180 schools on the list this year alone.
When deciding on your school, you should find one with a good track record of looking after LGBTQ+ students.
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