While Pride Month centers around commemorating history and recognizing LGBTQ folks’ impact on the nation, it’s also an opportunity to discuss their modern-day experiences. As of 2017, only 26% of all U.S. colleges prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation, according to the nonprofit Postsecondary National Policy Institute. What’s more, the majority of current college students say LGBTQ students experience at least some discrimination at their school.
A new survey of 12,340 undergraduates found that nearly two-thirds (64%) of all college students say there is a lot or some discrimination against gay and lesbian students on their campus, while 27% say they face very little and 9% say they experience none at all.
LGBTQ students are far more likely than straight students to say there is discrimination on their campus. Three-fourths (75%) of LGBTQ students say there is a lot or some discrimination against gay and lesbian students, compared to 61% of straight students.
LGBTQ Students are More Likely to Say There is Discrimination on Campus
How much discrimination would you say there is against gay and lesbian students on your college campus?
These findings are partially corroborated by another survey, which found that more than one in four (28%) straight students report that they would be uncomfortable having an LGBTQ roommate. More than two-thirds of straight students (68%) say they would feel comfortable, while 4% say they are unsure.
Students’ comfort levels also differ by gender. Nearly one in three male students (29%) say they would be uncomfortable having an LGBTQ roommate, compared to 15% of female students.
Male Students are More Likely to Be Uncomfortable With an LGBTQ Roommate
How comfortable or uncomfortable would you be with rooming with an LGBTQ+ student of the same sex as you?
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Methodology: This survey was designed and conducted by College Pulse. Interviews were conducted among a sample of 12,340 full-time and part-time students attending four-year colleges or universities in the U.S. who are part of College Pulse’s American College Student Panel.
