2 weeks Ago By DAN MERICA and CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Two decades ago, when a Democratic presidential nominee wouldn't dream of endorsing gay marriage, a newly elected district attorney named Kamala Harris was performing one of the first same-sex unions in the United States. Attorney General Kamala Harris, right, officiates the wedding of Kris Perry, left, and Sandy Stier on June 28, 2013, in San Francisco. It was the so-called Winter of Love in San Francisco.
The mayor at the time, Gavin Newsom, had directed the county clerk to approve gay marriages even though there was no law on the books recognizing them. His act of rebellion prompted a bipartisan political backlash, but Harris had no hesitation. “You could tell she was so overwhelmed and had so much joy about performing this ceremony," said Brad Witherspoon, whose marriage to Raymond Cobane was officiated by Harris on Valentine's Day 2004.
The moment represents a stark difference between Harris and all previous Democratic presidential nominees, who didn't begin their political careers as gay marriage supporters. Four years after the Winter of Love, the issue was still off the table during the party's primary. And it took another four years for Democratic President Barack Obama, running for reelection against Republican Mitt Romney, to back gay marriage.
Presidential candidate and Sen. Kamala Harris waves to parade attendees during the San Francisco Pride parade June 30, 2019, in San Francisco. For LGBTQ leaders, Harris' history validates their deep support for the Democratic nominee.
“It’s not just that she held a position in support of fundamental equality for gay and lesbian couples. A lot of politicians take positions and hold positions,” said Chad Griffin, former head of the Human Rights Campaign, who is on Harris' national fundraising committee. "Fewer actually roll up their sleeves and use their power to make lives better.
” Couples spend a lot of time with each other, but how much of that time is spent doing things together? In her book, “The Truths We Hold,” Harris writes that her decision to officiate the weddings was spur-of-the-moment. She was on her way to the airport before she decided to stop by City Hall. She and other local officials were sworn in and performed marriages in “every nook and cranny" of the building, Harris recalled.
“I was delighted to be a part of it,” she wrote. “There was all this wonderful excitement building as we welcomed the throngs of loving couples, one by one, to be married then and there. It was unlike anything I had ever been a part of before.
And it was beautiful.” Witherspoon recalls that it wasn't only him and his new husband who were caught up in the excitement. “She was as well,” he said.
“We were both crying and hugging each other." Witherspoon said Harris told them, “I really wanted to be a part of this.” All the marriages performed during that month in San Francisco were invalidated later that year, a move that Harris described as “devastating.
” Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris addresses supporters during a campaign event Friday in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Harris' early embrace of gay marriage is rooted, at least in part, in geography. She grew up in California's liberal Bay Area and started her political career in San Francisco, a city with a vibrant gay community.
Sean Meloy, a top operative at Victory Fund, a political committee aimed at increasing LGBTQ representation in politics, calls Harris’ story an example of why “representation matters.” “A lot of people didn't know LGBTQ people,” Meloy said of the atmosphere nationally during the Winter of Love. “In San Francisco, (LGBTQ people) were already a political force and also out, so she understood we are just people much earlier.
” Some of Harris’ earliest political advisers were gay, including Jim Rivaldo, who had worked with Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in California as a San Francisco supervisor. During a recent fundraiser, Harris recalled that after Rivaldo fell sick with AIDS, her mother helped take care of him before he died. When you grow up in the Bay Area, “almost everybody knows a gay couple that has been together for a long time,” said Debbie Mesloh, who served as Harris’ communications director when she was district attorney.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks to reporters in the spin room before a presidential debate between Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris on Sept. 10 in Philadelphia.
Mesloh said Harris paid particular attention to legal and criminal issues involving gay people, and she organized a national symposium to train prosecutors how to handle the “gay panic” defense that was used in Wyoming by the two men who killed Matthew Shepard in 1998. The defense tactic, which suggested that suspects could be goaded into violence by the victim’s overt sexuality, “just enraged Kamala,” Mesloh said. Supporting gay rights was not without political risk for ambitious politicians, a lesson that Newsom, now California's governor, learned after beginning the Winter of Love.
He did not get a speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention in 2004 as Republicans, led by President George W. Bush, turned gay marriage into a wedge issue with voters. Nonetheless, Harris was eager to participate in and officiate weddings, Mesloh recalled.
“There wasn’t an assessment or an analysis,” Mesloh said. “She wanted to do it. She was excited.
She loved it.” Witherspoon and Cobane, the couple married by Harris, assumed she would want to climb the political ranks one day, which boosted their admiration for her. “That adds to the bravery of her stance to come out and perform a gay wedding,” Witherspoon said.
“It is one thing to say I support gay marriage, but it’s another thing to put yourself on record and perform gay marriages, knowing at some point you want to move to a national level.” “She had national ambitions, but she supported it ahead of the time and before anyone else," Cobane said. "And I give her credit for that.
” College diversity initiatives have expanded their definition to include LGBTQ+ students. This is due to changes and improvements made to campus climates to create a robust support network for students. This network includes student organizations, inclusive healthcare and counseling services and support centers.
This ranking looks at the top LGBTQ+-friendly colleges. These institutions rank among the best in their efforts to support and provide academic, financial and social resources for LGBTQ+ students. BestColleges used trusted sources like Peterson's Data and the National Center for Education Statistics to inform the data for these schools.
Sponsored results from partners appear among these rankings and are indicated as such. 1. Ithaca College Ithaca College provides a vibrant and engaged community for LGBTQ+ students through its Center for LGBT Education, Outreach and Services .
The center, founded in 1999, supports both the academic and social needs of the community and its allies. Campuswide events include an Ithaca Pride walking tour of historically meaningful sites in Ithaca, an important site for LGBTQ+ rights. It also hosts speakers, film series, receptions and other social gatherings.
Average Undergrad Tuition Average Graduate Tuition ROI Score: Medium Retention Rate: 83% Acceptance Rate: 75% Students Enrolled: 5,054 Institution Type: Private Percent Online Enrollment: 28% Accreditation: Yes 2. George Mason University George Mason University started its LGBTQ+ Resource Center in 2002 to create a welcoming environment for its LGBTQ+ community. The center offers resources, including a Trans Clothing Closet , a mentorship program , and Identity Nights, where students from different identity groups can hang out.
The center also funds the Queer Student Leadership Council, a group of students who advocate for the LGBTQ+ community at the university. Average Undergrad Tuition Average Graduate Tuition ROI Score: High Retention Rate: 85% Acceptance Rate: 90% Students Enrolled: 39,049 Institution Type: Public Percent Online Enrollment: 78% Accreditation: Yes 3. Bridgewater State University Approximately 12% of Bridgewater State University's student population identifies as LGBTQ+, and as such, the campus offers a wide variety of sources for students to understand and explore LGBTQ+ identity and culture.
The Pride Center offers a number of signature programs , including Big Queer Welcome, the Pride365 mentorship program and the Queer Prom, which is held every spring semester. Average Undergrad Tuition Average Graduate Tuition ROI Score: High Retention Rate: 75% Acceptance Rate: 88% Students Enrolled: 9,604 Institution Type: Public Percent Online Enrollment: 44% Accreditation: Yes 4. University of Colorado Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder's Division of Student Affairs opened the Pride Office to build a sense of belonging among the LGBTQ+ campus community.
The office offers resources, consultations for students and staff, healthcare guides and more. The Pride Office also hosts a yearly conference on gender and an art gallery depicting trans people called TRANSCEND . Its Safe Zone training is a workshop that helps groups learn about different gender identities and sexual orientations and how to create inclusive learning environments.
Average Undergrad Tuition Average Graduate Tuition ROI Score: High Retention Rate: 87% Acceptance Rate: 80% Students Enrolled: 39,000 Institution Type: Public Percent Online Enrollment: 73% Accreditation: Yes 5. SUNY Oneonta SUNY Oneonta's Gender and Sexuality Resource Center (GSRC) offers a plethora of notable resources for students to learn about gender and sexuality, including the PRISM conference that invites regional and national speakers from around the country to speak on LGBTQ+ issues that impact college students. GSRC also offers a resource guide for transgender students to help them navigate various aspects of campus life, from athletics to housing.
Average Undergrad Tuition Average Graduate Tuition ROI Score: High Retention Rate: 73% Acceptance Rate: 73% Students Enrolled: 5,430 Institution Type: Public Percent Online Enrollment: 77% Accreditation: Yes 6. Emory University Emory University's Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Life seeks to create an affirming environment for queer students on campus while also supporting their identity development. Each year, the Office of LGBT Life participates in the annual Atlanta Pride Parade and Festival and also offers specific resources and an affinity group for queer and trans students of color.
Average Undergrad Tuition Average Graduate Tuition ROI Score: Medium Retention Rate: 95% Acceptance Rate: 11% Students Enrolled: 14,852 Institution Type: Private Percent Online Enrollment: 49% Accreditation: Yes 7. Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University's Gender and Sexuality Resource Center (GSRC) helps students connect with resources and networks through an intersectional lens. LGBTQ+ students and allies can volunteer as speakers with GSRC's Speakers Bureau , where they can talk about their experiences during on-campus training and in the community.
They also offer Ally Training for students and the community. NIU also offers an LGBTQ+ living-learning community . Average Undergrad Tuition Average Graduate Tuition ROI Score: Medium Retention Rate: 65% Acceptance Rate: 71% Students Enrolled: 15,649 Institution Type: Public Percent Online Enrollment: 70% Accreditation: Yes 8.
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire The University of Wisconsin Eau Claire has a significant number of resources for members of the LGBTQ+ community to get involved in social, educational, and advocacy programs through the Gender & Sexuality Resource Center (GSRC). Whether it's through regular campus events , housing and safe spaces or training opportunities , there is robust support available. There are many ways for students to get involved at the GSRC, with volunteer or service learning opportunities.
Average Undergrad Tuition Average Graduate Tuition ROI Score: Medium Retention Rate: 81% Acceptance Rate: 85% Students Enrolled: 9,605 Institution Type: Public Percent Online Enrollment: 51% Accreditation: Yes 9. Northern Kentucky University Northern Kentucky University's LGBTQ+ Student Initiatives envisions an identity-affirming and inclusive environment in which all students on the gender and sexuality spectrum feel welcome, seen and supported. NKU has a network of staff and faculty that serve as mentors and support systems for LGBTQ+ students.
This year, NKU held its inaugural You Matter Institute to offer a positive and enthusiastic experience for students to build a strong foundation of support through peer mentoring and community-building activities. Average Undergrad Tuition Average Graduate Tuition ROI Score: Medium Retention Rate: 77% Acceptance Rate: 86% Students Enrolled: 15,801 Institution Type: Public Percent Online Enrollment: 76% Accreditation: Yes 10. Stockton University Stockton University's Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Center (WGSC) has a number of organizations for LGBTQ+ students to participate in, including the Queer & Trans People of Color Society and the Pride Alliance .
As WGSC states, "Being LGBTQIA+ at Stockton means you are part of a growing community here at Stockton, and we strive to create a safe and supportive environment for all students, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity." Average Undergrad Tuition Average Graduate Tuition ROI Score: Medium Retention Rate: 78% Acceptance Rate: 86% Students Enrolled: 9,080 Institution Type: Public Percent Online Enrollment: 61% Accreditation: Yes 11. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology's LGBTQ+ Services mission is to ensure a safe and supportive community for students of diverse gender, romantic and sexual identities, with a specific emphasis and commitment to racial justice.
In addition to Rainbow Compass , a peer mentorship program where students are matched with LGBTQ+ faculty and staff, LGBTQ+ Services offers a comprehensive library of LGBTQ+ books, videos and educational resources. MIT also holds a Lavender Celebration for graduating LGBTQ+ students every year in May. Average Undergrad Tuition Average Graduate Tuition ROI Score: High Retention Rate: 99% Acceptance Rate: 4% Students Enrolled: 11,858 Institution Type: Private Percent Online Enrollment: 1% Accreditation: Yes 12.
Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia Tech's LGBTQIA+ Resource Center works to build an intentional community that focuses on the interconnectedness of gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation while creating a space for healing and liberation. The resource center offers educational workshops for allies , an informal coffee happy hour for LGBTQ+ students every month and financial and economic resources specific to queer and trans students. Average Undergrad Tuition Average Graduate Tuition ROI Score: High Retention Rate: 98% Acceptance Rate: 17% Students Enrolled: 45,296 Institution Type: Public Percent Online Enrollment: 62% Accreditation: Yes 13.
Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University's Division of Student Affairs has done considerable work to support LGBTQ+ students, providing internal CMU resources that are both school-specific and campus-wide. CMU notably offers specialized healthcare for LGBTQ+ students, a trans and gender-diverse graduation guide and student organizations for trans students and LGBTQ+ graduate students . Average Undergrad Tuition Average Graduate Tuition ROI Score: High Retention Rate: 97% Acceptance Rate: 11% Students Enrolled: 16,663 Institution Type: Private Percent Online Enrollment: 31% Accreditation: Yes 14.
University of Massachusetts-Amherst The Stonewall Center at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst is a resource center for LGBTQIA+ students. It offers on-campus and local resources for transgender students , including a map to gender-inclusive restrooms and a guide to changing your name at Amherst. It also offers an LGBTQIA+ Peer Mentorship Program and Out @ UMass , a list of the school's openly out faculty and staff.
Average Undergrad Tuition Average Graduate Tuition ROI Score: High Retention Rate: 90% Acceptance Rate: 64% Students Enrolled: 32,229 Institution Type: Public Percent Online Enrollment: 20% Accreditation: Yes Each year, BestColleges reaches out to over 1,000 colleges so they can self-report the services and resources offered to LGBTQ+ students. In consultation with Genny Beemyn, a veteran expert in the field of LGBTQ+ higher education issues and student experiences, BestColleges specifically identifies three key areas in its survey: In addition to this survey, BestColleges also incorporates its own ranking methodology that emphasizes the following factors to produce this list: Using the campus survey and ranking methodology, BestColleges can produce a comprehensive list of schools that both support LGBTQ+ students and also offer a great value, high-quality education for college students. Although the number of LGBTQ+ students attending U.
S. colleges is increasing, these students still face challenges. These challenges can be related to their identities, mental health , safety concerns and a lack of institutional policies to protect them.
There are factors to consider when choosing an LGBTQ+-friendly college . Peer support from LGBTQ+ organizations or mentorship programs can offer a safe space to explore identity or socialize with like-minded individuals. A school's Infrastructure is also critical to creating a climate of inclusion, particularly through gender-inclusive housing, inclusive restrooms and faculty and staff representation.
Adequate health services that provide counseling and gender-affirming treatment are also important factors. A recent report by the Proud and Thriving Project found that LGBTQ+ students experience greater incidences of mental health conditions than their non-LGBTQ+ counterparts, making adequate mental health resources critical. What college has the largest LGBTQ+ population? A 2020 American College Health Association study reported that out of a cohort of 8,000 students surveyed, 21% identified as LGBTQ+.
Of the top LGBTQ+-serving institutions, the University of Washington has the largest overall student population — and a strong support system for the LGBTQ+ community. The University of Texas at Arlington , Rutgers University , and University of Maryland, College Park have the next largest total populations, with comprehensive support available for LGBTQ+ students. How do you know if a college is LGBTQ+-friendly? There are a number of characteristics to look for on a college campus that supports LGBTQ+ students.
LGBTQ+-specific resources include support to improve campus climate and safety, opportunities for identity development and expertise on institutional and state policies, and their impact on the community. All students should ensure their institution of choice is a good fit for them, but LGBTQ+ students have additional details to consider. Trans or nonbinary students of any background and LGBTQ+ students of color must consider how well their full identities are likely to be supported on campus.
Gender-inclusive housing, scholarship opportunities , health care, faculty representation and the availability of student organizations and mentorship opportunities are all important factors to LGBTQ+ student success. What is the most LGBT-friendly place in the U.S.
? According to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation , the Household Pulse Survey administered by the Census Bureau suggests that 20 million adults in the U.S. identify as LGBTQ+.
States with the highest LGBTQ+ populations include Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia and Illinois. UCLA School of Law's Williams Institute published data regarding U.S.
metropolitan areas with the largest LGBTQ+ populations. The top cities were New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Miami. The city with the highest percentage of LGBTQ+ individuals per population was San Francisco.
Cities considered LGBTQ+-friendly have well-established, safe communities with activities, nightlife, housing and events that appeal to the LGBTQ+ community. This story was produced by BestColleges and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.
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