Question 1 provided each school with a field to confirm or update their nondiscrimination statement.
2. Does your law school intentionally seek out LGBTQ+ prospective students?
No
3. Does your law school's welcome packet for admitted students include mention of identity group support for LGBTQ+ students, as well as for students of color or other minorities?
No
4. Does your school offer students the option to self-identify (also known as "Self-ID") as LGBTQ+ in admissions applications or post-enrollment forms?
No
5. Does your law school offer transgender and nonbinary students who have not legally changed their names the ability to have their name-in-use reflected on their admission applications or post enrollment forms?:
Yes
6. Does your law school provide any annual scholarships specifically for LGBTQ+ students?
Only general diversity scholarships
7. Does your law school actively seek to employ diverse staff/faculty/administrators, including openly LGBTQ+ individuals?:
Yes
8. Does your law school conduct a "Self-ID" program which allows staff/faculty/administrators to voluntarily and (if they desire) confidentially identify their gender identity and sexual orientation?:
No
9. How many faculty (not staff/administrators) are employed by your law school in total?
58
10. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ faculty are employed by your law school in total?
2
a. With reference to #10, how many LGBTQ+ faculty self-identify as people of color?
Zero
Lesbian?
1
Gay?
1
Bisexual/Pansexual?
Zero
Transgender / Nonbinary?
Zero
Queer or member of gender/sexual orientation minority group?
Zero
11. How many staff/administrators (not faculty) are employed by your law school in total?
99
12. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ staff/administrators are employed by your law school in total?
5
a. With reference to #12, how many LGBTQ+ staff/administrators self-identify as people of color?
Zero
Lesbian?
4
Gay?
1
Bisexual / Pansexual?
Zero
Transgender / Nonbinary?
Zero
Queer or member of gender/sexual orientation minority group?
Zero
13. Does your law school provide employee benefits such as health insurance, family medical leave, parental leave, and nontraditional family planning like assisted reproduction and/or adoptive benefits?
Yes
a. If 'yes,' are those employee benefits available on equal terms to employees in same-sex marital/domestic partnership relationships as they are to employees in different-sex marital/domestic partnership relationships?
Yes
b. If you answered 'yes' to #13, are those employee benefit plans inclusive of the specific needs of LGBTQ+ employees (i.e., are assisted reproductive benefits offered without the need for extended traditional attempts at pregnancy, are care techniques such as mammograms, prostate exams, hysterectomies, etc. available to employees of all genders, are parental leave policies equal for people of all genders, etc.)?
Yes
c. If you answered 'yes' to #13a AND/OR if you answered 'yes' or 'unsure' to #13b, please summarize or reproduce your policy here:
My answer is in reference to the leave policy only. The University of Houston does not offer any reproductive benefits. Parental Leave
Family and Medical Leave
14. Does your law school offer transition-related health benefits including hormone therapy, gender counseling, gender-affirming surgeries, etc. to transgender/nonbinary employees and employees who are undergoing gender transition?
No
15. Does your law school offer a student benefit plan including health insurance with nontraditional family planning like assisted reproduction and/or adoptive benefits, and/or any additional benefits such as access to campus facilities?
Yes
a. If yes, are those student benefits available on equal terms to students in same-sex marital/domestic partnership relationships as they are to students in different- sex marital/domestic partnership relationships?
Yes
b. If you answered yes to #15, are those student benefit plans inclusive of the specific needs of LGBTQ+ students (i.e., are assisted reproductive benefits offered without the need for extended traditional attempts at pregnancy, are care techniques such as mammograms, prostate exams, hysterectomies, etc. available to students of all genders, etc.)?
Unsure
c. If you answered yes to #15a AND/OR if you answered yes or unsure to #15b, please summarize or reproduce your policy here
16. Does your school offer the same transition-related healthcare benefits to students and their partners/spouses who are transgender/nonbinary or undergoing gender transition?
Yes
a. If 'yes,' please summarize or reproduce your policy here:
17. Do all students at your law school have access to on-campus health, counseling and therapy services either through the law school or the larger University?
Yes
a. If 'yes,' are your school's on-campus health care providers trained to ensure they can provide culturally and clinically competent care to LGBTQ+ patients, particularly transgender and nonbinary patients?
Unsure
b. If you answered 'yes' or 'unsure' to #17a, please provide the basis for your answer (i.e., counseling center language, etc.):
The larger UH campus offers a variety of health services, including counseling, but I am unsure whether the professional clinicians are specifically trained to treat specific populations. However, UH offers students access to a LGBTQ resource center that offers peer mentoring and discussion groups. The resource center also houses a speech clinic that works with patients who are interested in working on voice feminization or masculinization.
See here.
18. Does your law school provide single-stall and/or multi-stall restrooms available to people of all genders (i.e., gender-neutral restrooms) in each law school building so that transgender/nonbinary people have a safe restroom space?
Yes
a. If 'yes,' please describe how those all-gender restroom(s) is/are identified (i.e., what does the signage say, is it identified on building maps and online resources), the number of all-gender restroom stalls available in each law school building, and whether these are accessible for people with disabilities in each building or floor
The restrooms are identified by gender. There are a total of 4 single stall restrooms, all of which are accessible for individuals with disabilities. The Law Center will be moving into a new building in 2022 with single stalls available to people of all genders.
19. If your law school is maintaining gender-segregated (i.e., "Women's Restroom" and "Men's Restroom") restroom stalls, does it have a policy applicable to those facilities which ensures that transgender/nonbinary students/staff/administrators/faculty, as well as anyone who does not meet gender stereotypes, have access to facilities that match their gender identity?
No
20. Does your law school have one or more annual LGBTQ+ specific course offerings (e.g., LGBTQ+ Law and Policy, Sexual Orientation and the Law, Gender and the Law (focused on trans-inclusive materials), etc.)?
Yes
a. If 'yes,' please list course names:
Sexual Orientation and the Law
21. Does your law school have an active LGBTQ+ law student group that is supported by the administration?
Yes
22. Does your law school provide funding, including travel support, for LGBTQ+ students to participate in LGBTQ+-focused learning and/or career services opportunities?
Yes
a. If yes please provide details and examples of when and how those opportunities have been utilized in the past three years:
We provide funds for students to attend the Lavender Law Conference and Career Fair. We also provide funds for social mixers with student members and administration.
23. Does your law school have a hate/bias incident policy that faculty, staff/administrators, and students are required to follow?
Yes
a. If yes to #23, does that process specifically identify sexual orientation AND/OR gender identity/expression as protected categories?
Yes, both
b. If yes to #23, does the policy set out a clear hate bias/incident reporting process for faculty, staff/administrators, and students to utilize if necessary?
No
The Office of Student Services maintains an open-door policy and is staffed with individuals who have attended LGBTQ training and serve as allies for our LGBTQ community. This helps to ensure that our students know that they have a safe space to communicate their concerns.
24. Does your law school provide mandatory anti-sexual harassment training that explicitly covers same-sex harassment and harassment of transgender/nonbinary people, for all staff/faculty/administrators, at least every three years?
No
25. Does your law school provide diversity and inclusion training that incorporates robust LGBTQ+ curriculum as well as anti-racism curriculum, at least every three years? NOTE: Please check all that apply.
Yes, optional for all faculty/staff/administrators
Yes, mandatory for all students
Yes, mandatory for all students
26. Please describe all additional ways, not identified through your earlier responses, in which your law school works to be safe, inclusive, and welcoming for its LGBTQ+ students, faculty, and administrators:
Dean Baynes has appointed a Diversity Committee comprised of faculty, staff and students. This committee is charged with the addressing all diversity programming and any issues or concerns that may arise. They have been very active by inviting engaging speakers to campus to increase cultural awareness in and out of the classroom.
The Law Center’s Appointments Committee and Diversity and Inclusion Committee work together to ensure that our faculty and applicant pool for open positions are diverse.