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Climate Survey 2022

Connect, Share Knowledge, and Succeed Within the LGBTQ+ and Ally Legal Community.

Boston University School of Law

March 23, 2022

Question 1 provided each school with a field to confirm or update their nondiscrimination statement.
 
b. Does your law school (or larger University, if those policies are binding upon the law school) have a "code of conduct" which prohibits same-sex relationships (including but not limited to physical/sexual activity, marriage or registered domestic partner status, etc.) for employees or students?
No
2. Does your law school intentionally seek out LGBTQ+ prospective students?
Yes
a. If ‘yes,’ how and where are your efforts directed?

We value a diverse class, and seek out qualified LGBTQIA+ students who contribute meaningfully to the excellence of BU Law.

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?
Yes

BU OutLaw is the affinity group for LGBTQIA+ students, and we have several other affinity groups based on identity.

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?
Yes
a. If 'yes,' please describe your student Self-ID process:

Our application has an optional question, “Do you identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, or asexual?”

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

Yes, we ask both preferred name and “If your strongest gender identity differs from your legal sex, and you would like to share it with us, you may do so here.”

6. Does your law school provide any annual scholarships specifically for LGBTQ+ students?
No
7. Does your law school actively seek to employ diverse staff/faculty/administrators, including openly LGBTQ+ individuals?:
Yes
a. If 'yes,' please detail how and where diversity recruitment efforts are directed:

All job posts are reviewed to ensure a commitment to diversity and recruitment of faculty and staff representative of the diversity of our community and beyond. BU advertises in a range of industry-related publications, and association listservs, ensuring a wide-range of applicants.

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?:
Yes
a. If you answered 'yes' or 'unsure,' please describe your school's process for collecting this data

An anonymous survey is distributed by Student Affairs.

9. How many faculty (not staff/administrators) are employed by your law school in total?
78.25 full-time faculty and 135 PT faculty = 213.25 total
10. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ faculty are employed by your law school in total?
9
a. With reference to #10, how many LGBTQ+ faculty self-identify as people of color?
2
Gay?
2
Bisexual/Pansexual?
4
Queer or member of gender/sexual orientation minority group?
3

Faculty data based on 65 responses from combined full and part-time faculty.

11. How many staff/administrators (not faculty) are employed by your law school in total?
86
12. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ staff/administrators are employed by your law school in total?
14
a. With reference to #12, how many LGBTQ+ staff/administrators self-identify as people of color?
1
Lesbian?
3
Gay?
1
Bisexual / Pansexual?
5
Transgender / Nonbinary?
1
Queer or member of gender/sexual orientation minority group?
4

This data is based off 49 staff responses.

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?
No
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
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?
Yes
a. If 'yes' or ‘unsure,’ please summarize or reproduce your policy here:

Yes, with prior authorization, Available here: https://www.bluecrossma.org/sites/g/files/csphws2006/files/PDFs/000379940%20MyBlue%20Transgender%20Services%20Factsheet%20web_4-30-20_DR.pdf

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.)?
Yes
c. If you answered yes to #15a AND/OR if you answered yes or unsure to #15b, please summarize or reproduce your policy here

Available here: https://www.bu.edu/shs/getting-started/lgbtq-plus-students/gender-affirming-healthcare/

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:

Available here: https://www.bu.edu/shs/getting-started/lgbtq-plus-students/gender-affirming-healthcare/

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?
Yes
b. If you answered 'yes' or 'unsure' to #17a, please provide the basis for your answer (i.e., counseling center language, etc.):

Available here: https://www.bu.edu/shs/behavioral-medicine/services-we-provide/behavioral-medicine-groups/

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

There are six gender-inclusive single-stall bathrooms in the law school. All are accessible.

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?
Yes
a. If "yes," please provide the language of your school's restroom use policy and details on where this policy may be found by the law school community:

All members of the BU community are welcome to use the bathrooms with which they identify as applicable to themselves. Questions about the gender-inclusive bathrooms and other gender-inclusive policies at Boston University should be directed to Student Affairs at 617-358-1800 or studaff@bu.edu.

b. Do all of the gender-segregated restrooms in your law school buildings have signage specifically indicating that people may use the restroom which best reflects their gender?
No
20. Does your law school have one or more annual LGBTQ+ specific course offerings (e.g., LGBTQ+ Law and Policy, Sexual Orientation Law, Gender Identity Law, etc.)?
Yes, we offer both a Gender Identity Law course and a Sexual Orientation Law course, annually
a. If 'yes,' please list course names:

CRITICAL CIVIL PROCEDURE (JD 765); GENDER EQUALITY LAW (JD 914); QUEERNESS & THE LAW (JD 917); JURISPRUDENCE: CONTEMPORARY CONTROVERSIES OVER LAW & MORALITY (JD 835); FIRST AMENDMENT & THE LGBTQ MOVEMENT (JD 911)

21. Does your law school have an active LGBTQ+ law student group?
Yes
a. If you answered "yes," does that group receive annual funding from the law school administration?
The group receives funding from a source other than the administration

BU Law’s LGBTQIA+ student group, OutLaw, accesses funding from the student activity fee, a couple different university and school diversity funds created from various donors and offices, and programming / conference travel grants.

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:

BU has had a contingent of students attend Lavender Law, with the Dean providing scholarships of up to $500 per person; or per conference (if more than one student attending). Students have also used the fund to attend ABA and bar-supported conferences.

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?
Yes

Available here: https://www.bu.edu/law/about/diversity/classroom-climate/

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?
Yes

This is a mandatory training at the start of employment, primarily focused on Title IX compliance.

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, optional for all students
26. Does your school enable and encourage the sharing of personal pronouns (e.g., She/Her, He/Him, They/Them) and honorifics (e.g., Ms., Mx., Mr.) in public communications (email signature blocks, Zoom profiles, nametags, event registration forms, etc.)?
Other
a. Does your law school capture students' personal pronouns and honorifics as part of the registration process?
We capture this data elsewhere
b. If your law school captures students' personal pronouns and honorifics, is that information consistently shared with professors on class rosters with an expectation that it will be used in the classroom?
Yes

The School gives students the opportunity to share their personal pronouns through the NameCoach app in Blackboard, which is then accessible to all faculty. This disclosure is optional for students, and not all students choose to provide their pronouns through this program. Also, students are given the option of having their pronouns added to their School-issued magnetic name tag. Further, they are encouraged to add their pronouns to their Zoom profile name.

27. 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:

See more on BU Law’s equity and inclusion efforts here: https://www.bu.edu/law/about/diversity/