Adjusting to college life is a difficult proposition for many high school graduates today. When you compound that challenge with the issues surrounding students of a sexual minority, the adjustment phase becomes even more complex. Many LGBT students face bigotry from peers and faculty, and hate crimes are unfortunately not uncommon for many of these young adults today.
The good news is that more colleges are reaching out to their LGBT community, providing them with support and resources to succeed in their post-secondary academic career. We will discuss a few of the hurdles that face colleges that want to provide support to the LGBT students, as well as some community colleges that have overcome those hurdles to give all their student body an equal shot at success.
Some Facts about Sexual Minorities on Campus
Sexual minorities are not an easy segment of the population for community colleges to address for a number of reasons. The first obstacle is the lack of data on just how many LGBT students might be residing on college campuses today. This is due to outdated information and the tendency for many LGBT students to hide their sexual identity from their teachers and peers. Even those who want to study the LGBT population may be hesitant to express their desires, due to a mistaken perception that they might also be gay. That stigma has affected the careers of many teachers in the field of education today.
Unfortunately, hate crimes are