Why LGBTQ+ campus resource centers are essential

IN a commentary published Friday, October 16, a group of scholars highlight the importance of opening and maintaining LGBTQ+ resource centers on college campuses, offering greater support for LGBTQ+ students during the pandemic, which can be a time of heightened anxiety and depression.

"LGBTQ+ campus resource centers provide essential services for college and university communities and are increasingly necessary in light of the ongoing and reverberating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic." If there is one key message to take away from the "Why LGBTQ+ Campus Resource Centers are Essential" commentary, written by scholars from Lehigh University and Ohio State University in the US, then it should probably be that. 

According to data from LGBTQ+ centers, there are currently more than 275 LGBTQ+ resource centers on university campuses in the USA. Research shows that the presence of these centers is correlated with lower levels of discrimination, less stress and increased self-acceptance among LGBTQ+ students. According to the authors of the commentary, published in Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, the centers' main fields of action include support, counseling, fostering a sense of belonging among students, as well as LGBTQ+ advocacy. 

The authors consider that campus LGBTQ+ resource centers are essential to the health, well-being and academic success of LGBTQ+ students, especially in the context of the covid-19 pandemic. In fact, the paper emphasizes the potential consequences of cutting such services, and the distress and confusion these young people can suffer, exacerbated by the pandemic. 

"College students' experiences shifted dramatically as a result of covid-19, often to the detriment of their health and well-being. For example, many LGBTQ+ students returned to unsafe and/or unsupportive homes when they were unable to remain on-campus; the abrupt and unexpected shift into these harmful and traumatic environments has exacerbated the need for additional support services," the authors state.

In 2014, a study found that more than 25% of lesbian, gay and bisexual college students witnessed or experienced some form of harassment, correlating with increased reports of anxiety and depression. – ETX Studio, October 20, 2020