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Climate Survey 2022

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

University of Southern California, Gould School of Law

March 23, 2022

Question 1 provided each school with a field to confirm or update their nondiscrimination statement.
 
a. If you answered 'it is incorrect,' please provide the URL from your school's website with the corrected version

Notice of Non-Discrimination

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 are part of the LSAC LGBTQ resource guide “Out & In.” Additionally, we engage in targeted outreach towards students who have identified as LGBTQ via the LSAC CAS service.

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
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:

“Do you identify as LGBTQIA?”

b. If 'yes,' how many students are currently enrolled at your law school in total?:
Approximately 600
c. If 'yes,' how many self-identified LGBTQ+ students are currently enrolled at your law school, in total?:
79
d. If 'yes,' how many of your currently enrolled LGBTQ+ students also self-identify as people of color?
37
Lesbian?
We do not collect with this degree of granularity.
Gay?
We do not collect with this degree of granularity.
Bisexual/ Pansexual?
We do not collect with this degree of granularity.
Transgender / Nonbinary?
We do not collect with this degree of granularity.
Queer or member of gender/sexual orientation minority group?
We do not collect with this degree of granularity.
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?
Yes

Yes, via our OUTLaw Endowment.

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:

We are actively revising our hiring practices to encourage a diverse pool of candidates to apply, including expanding the pipeline of potential faculty to diverse organizations and exploring the language used in our job postings.

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?
50
10. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ faculty are employed by your law school in total?
Due to the small size of our staff/faculty, we respectfully decline to answer this question due to the inability to keep the identities of our staff / faculty confidential by responding to this question.
a. With reference to #10, how many LGBTQ+ faculty self-identify as people of color?
Due to the small size of our staff/faculty, we respectfully decline to answer this question due to the inability to keep the identities of our staff / faculty confidential by responding to this question.
Lesbian?
Due to the small size of our staff/faculty, we respectfully decline to answer this question due to the inability to keep the identities of our staff / faculty confidential by responding to this question.
Gay?
Due to the small size of our staff/faculty, we respectfully decline to answer this question due to the inability to keep the identities of our staff / faculty confidential by responding to this question.
Bisexual/Pansexual?
Due to the small size of our staff/faculty, we respectfully decline to answer this question due to the inability to keep the identities of our staff / faculty confidential by responding to this question.
Transgender / Nonbinary?
Due to the small size of our staff/faculty, we respectfully decline to answer this question due to the inability to keep the identities of our staff / faculty confidential by responding to this question.
Queer or member of gender/sexual orientation minority group?
Due to the small size of our staff/faculty, we respectfully decline to answer this question due to the inability to keep the identities of our staff / faculty confidential by responding to this question.
11. How many staff/administrators (not faculty) are employed by your law school in total?
133
12. How many self-identified LGBTQ+ staff/administrators are employed by your law school in total?
Due to the small size of our staff/faculty, we respectfully decline to answer this question due to the inability to keep the identities of our staff / faculty confidential by responding to this question.
a. With reference to #12, how many LGBTQ+ staff/administrators self-identify as people of color?
Due to the small size of our staff/faculty, we respectfully decline to answer this question due to the inability to keep the identities of our staff / faculty confidential by responding to this question.
Lesbian?
Due to the small size of our staff/faculty, we respectfully decline to answer this question due to the inability to keep the identities of our staff / faculty confidential by responding to this question.
Gay?
Due to the small size of our staff/faculty, we respectfully decline to answer this question due to the inability to keep the identities of our staff / faculty confidential by responding to this question.
Bisexual / Pansexual?
Due to the small size of our staff/faculty, we respectfully decline to answer this question due to the inability to keep the identities of our staff / faculty confidential by responding to this question.
Transgender / Nonbinary?
Due to the small size of our staff/faculty, we respectfully decline to answer this question due to the inability to keep the identities of our staff / faculty confidential by responding to this question.
Queer or member of gender/sexual orientation minority group?
Due to the small size of our staff/faculty, we respectfully decline to answer this question due to the inability to keep the identities of our staff / faculty confidential by responding to this question.
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:

https://lgbtqplus.usc.edu/trans/trans-related-health-care-for-university-employees/

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?
Unsure
a. If 'yes' or ‘unsure,’ please summarize or reproduce your policy here:

https://lgbtqplus.usc.edu/trans/trans-related-health-care-for-university-employees/

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?
No
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:

https://lgbtqplus.usc.edu/trans/trans-health-care-health-insurance/

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.):

https://lgbtqplus.usc.edu/trans/trans-health-care-health-insurance/

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 Law School provides three “All Gender Restroom” Restrooms that are accessible for those with disabilities. These restrooms are not listed on our online building map.

There are two all gender restrooms located in our 2nd floor library. These restrooms are for Students, Staff & Faculty. Our 3rd floor gender neutral restroom is located in the staff lounge for staff members only.

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 Gender Identity Law course annually
a. If 'yes,' please list course names:

Gender Discrimination LAW-621
Equality and Difference LAW-880
Law, Society and the University: the History of Discrimination Seminar LAW-729
Race and Gender in the Law LAW-716
Sex, Gender and the Law LAW-757
Sexual Orientation and the Law LAW-751

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

The USC Gould endowment for OUTLaw — an organization for students of all sexual orientations — was the first of its kind in the nation. An annual Endowment Reception was created to bring together students, faculty, alumni, and the Los Angeles legal community in an effort to raise funds for the USC OUTLaw Scholarship Endowment, which provides annual scholarships that will benefit LGBTQ students and/or students working towards LGBTQ equality through the law. Additionally, Gould administration provides funding to the SBA, and the SBA determines how much money is allocated to the student organizations (OUTlaw can apply for funds).

22. Does your law school provide funding, including travel support, for LGBTQ+ students to participate in LGBTQ+-focused learning and/or career services opportunities?
No
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
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
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, mandatory 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:

The USC Gould School of Law recently created and implemented an Assistant Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion position. One of the early priorities of this position was defining what it means to be a truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment. Diversity has been broadly defined in our law school as encompassing the various ways we are diverse, including gender identity and sexuality. Additionally, when I joined the law school nearly one year ago, I reached out to our OUTLaw student leaders to introduce myself and to make myself available as a resource for their organization. We also recently implemented a new “climate incident report” form that allows members of the community to report incidents that have or may have a negative impact on our community. Managed by the DEI Office, this reporting mechanism allows us to more closely monitor our community to ensure that we are actively promoting a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment for all students, faculty, and staff.