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Climate Survey 2022

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

University of Houston Law Center

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?
No

Our admissions process is LGBTQ+ neutral.

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

Our orientation program includes presentations on the various LGBTQ+ and minority resources and student organizations that we offer at the Law Center and the greater University of Houston campus.

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 admissions application includes three LGBTQ+ questions that allows a student to identify their preferred pronouns, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

b. If 'yes,' how many students are currently enrolled at your law school in total?:
729
c. If 'yes,' how many self-identified LGBTQ+ students are currently enrolled at your law school, in total?:
The self-identifying questions were recently added to our admissions application. As such, the statistics from the relevant questions are not yet available.
d. If 'yes,' how many of your currently enrolled LGBTQ+ students also self-identify as people of color?
The self-identifying questions were recently added to our admissions application. As such, the statistics from the relevant questions are not yet available.
Lesbian?
The self-identifying questions were recently added to our admissions application. As such, the statistics from the relevant questions are not yet available.
Gay?
The self-identifying questions were recently added to our admissions application. As such, the statistics from the relevant questions are not yet available.
Bisexual/ Pansexual?
The self-identifying questions were recently added to our admissions application. As such, the statistics from the relevant questions are not yet available.
Transgender / Nonbinary?
The self-identifying questions were recently added to our admissions application. As such, the statistics from the relevant questions are not yet available.
Queer or member of gender/sexual orientation minority group?
The self-identifying questions were recently added to our admissions application. As such, the statistics from the relevant questions are not yet available.
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
a. If 'yes,' please detail how and where diversity recruitment efforts are directed:

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.

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?
56
10. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ faculty are employed by your law school in total?
2
Lesbian?
1
Gay?
1
11. How many staff/administrators (not faculty) are employed by your law school in total?
89
12. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ staff/administrators are employed by your law school in total?
5
Lesbian?
4
Gay?
1
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:

The answer is in reference to the Parental Leave and Family Medical Leave policies only. The University of Houston does not offer any reproductive benefits. The relevant policies are located here, respectively: (https://uh.edu/policies/_docs/mapp/02/020202.pdf) and (https://uh.edu/policies/_docs/mapp/02/020201.pdf).

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

The response is in reference to our Transgender Health benefits, which are outlined here: (https://uh.edu/lgbtq/transgender-affairs/transgender-health/).

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:

The response is in reference to our Transgender Health benefits, which are outlined here: (https://uh.edu/lgbtq/transgender-affairs/transgender-health/).

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. Here is a link to the resource center: (https://uh.edu/lgbtq/).

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 a total of 4 single stall restrooms identified by gender. The Law Center will be moving into a new building later this year, which has 14 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
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 a Sexual Orientation Law course annually
a. If 'yes,' please list course names:

Sexual Orientation & The Law

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?
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:

Although all travel has been temporarily suspended due to Covid, we have always provided 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?
Yes

The Office of Student Services also 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
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.)?
People are allowed to use them but the school doesn't facilitate or request it
a. Does your law school capture students' personal pronouns and honorifics as part of the registration process?
Yes
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?
No
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:

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.