Campus Pride Joins 36 Orgs Urging The NCES to Incorporate Nonbinary Students Into IPED System

Today, Campus Pride along with 36 other national/regional organizations requested that the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) incorporate nonbinary students into all categories of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).

A letter from Campus Pride on behalf of the signatories was sent to the U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) who has oversight of NCES. A separate request for comment was also filed with the DOE online in the public request for comments.

The organizations are recommending that NCES add a “nonbinary gender identity” category to all tables. As colleges are becoming more detailed in identifying the gender identities of their students, NCES should consider including additional gender options, such as agender, gender fluid, genderqueer, questioning, trans man, and trans woman. These would allow for a more comprehensive understanding of their students across gender identities.

The letter states: “While we appreciate that the NCES is proposing to add a single question to IPEDS that asks colleges about the number of students at their institutions who identify as other than female or male, this change is not enough. Nonbinary students need to be included in all gender breakdowns so that their experiences, which are often very different from female and male students, can be recognized and fully accounted for in order to ensure a safe, inclusive learning environment. The value of nonbinary inclusion should outweigh any added reporting burden on colleges.”

According to the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment (NCHA), the number of students identifying as trans or nonbinary has nearly tripled in the last five years, with most of this increase because of the growth in respondents identifying as nonbinary.

The Common Application, the Coalition Application, and the Universal College Application, which manage the admissions applications for more than 1,200 colleges and universities, enable students to identify their gender identity and include a “nonbinary” option. In addition, “nonbinary” is a category for “legal sex” in 24 states, where individuals can have an “x” as their gender marker on their driver’s license and/or birth certificates.

Signatories include:

ACPA - College Student Educators International

Advocates for Youth

American Association of Colleges and Universities

American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers

American Association of State Colleges and Universities

Association of College and University Housing Officers - International

Athlete Ally

Campus Pride

Center for LGBTQ Economic Advancement & Research (CLEAR)

CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers

Common App

Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals

Equality Federation

FORGE, Inc.

GLSEN

interACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth

Mazzoni Center

Modern Military Association of America

Movement Advancement Project

NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators for Higher Education

National Association for College Admissions Counseling

National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO)

National Black Justice Coalition

National Center for Transgender Equality

National LGBT Cancer Network

National LGBTQ+ Bar Association

National Women’s Law Center

Oasis Legal Services

Oklahomans for Equality

PFLAG National

Phoenix Pride

PowerOn, a program of LGBT Technology Institute

Resource Center

TransAthlete.com

Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico

URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity

Woodhull Freedom Foundation

Camp Pride Announces 16th Annual Leadership Academy for LGBTQ Students

Campus Pride, the nation’s premier nonprofit dedicated to building future leaders and making college and university campuses safer and more welcoming for LGBTQ+ people, today announced that registration is now open for the 16th Annual Camp Pride Leadership Academy, to be held virtually from July 14 - 16, 2022. There are 100 free fee waivers this year, so individuals are encouraged to apply early for priority consideration.

Since 2006, Camp Pride has been recognized as the leading training program for social justice and grassroots activism for LGBTQ+ and ally young people on college campuses. Historically an in-person summer camp with between 50-75 participants, this year’s Camp Pride will be conducted online with more than 150 participants expected from around the country.

“Camp Pride moved online in the wake of the pandemic for the last two years, and we learned that the virtual camp model made Camp far more accessible,” said Campus Pride Executive Director Shane Windmeyer. “This year, we continue making Camp Pride accessible to as many young activists as possible, teaching the skills they’ll employ as the LGBTQ+ community fights back against increasing attacks on our rights.”

“Camp Pride Leadership Academy is a unique opportunity to experience community with other LGBTQ+ student leaders and allies from across the country,” said Campus Pride Board Chair Tom Elliott. “The resources and tools that students receive during Camp serve as the foundation for a lifelong commitment to advocacy for equality, inclusivity, and social justice. As a graduate of the 2008 Camp Pride, my continued fight for a society free of anti-LGBTQ bigotry and hate still draws on the skills I learned during my Camp Pride experience.”

Camp Pride 2022 features workshops focused on building LGBTQ+ inclusive communities, fighting hate on college campuses, teaching storytelling and persuasion skills, grant funding sessions to support campus activism, and career planning tools utilizing the new Campus Pride Career Connect platform, which connects students with employers looking to hire the next generation of LGBTQ+ talent.

Registration for Camp Pride is open now at www.campuspride.org/camppride; registration closes on Wednesday, July 15, 2022. Registration is $225 per person to attend the four-hour-long Saturday session; scholarship and fee waivers are available on a limited basis.