For Immediate Release
 
Contact: 
Judi O’Kelley 
Chief Program Officer
judi@lgbtbar.org
 

The National LGBT Bar Association Releases 2021 Law School Campus Climate Survey Data
 
110 schools shared their efforts around LGBTQ+ diversity, equity, and inclusion, representing a 26% response increase from 2020
 

April 5, 2021, Washington DC  - The National LGBT Bar Association is pleased to release its annual Law School Campus Climate Survey data, reflecting law school responses for the 2020-2021 school year. This extensive survey polled ABA-accredited law schools about twenty-six topics relevant to LGBTQ+ law students, faculty, and staff, with questions concerning subjects ranging from LGBTQ+ course offerings to availability of gender-neutral bathrooms.
 
110 law schools responded to the survey, representing a 26% increase from last year. All schools self-reported voluntarily, indicating their contribution to LGBTQ+ awareness in law schools by being transparent to their own community as well as to students who are choosing which school they hope to attend.
 
“It is inspiring to see so many law schools centering LGBTQ+ students by sharing the information that prospective students want to know to help them ensure that the environment is safe and inclusive,” said D’Arcy Kemnitz, Executive Director of the National LGBT Bar Association. “The LGBT Bar is deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in one of the most important places there is in the legal profession: law schools.” 
 
“Our growth in response rate points to how law schools across the country are increasingly interested in fostering policies and a culture of equity and belonging for LGBTQ+ students,” said Judi O’Kelley, Chief Program Officer of the National LGBT Bar Association. “This survey has lasting impact and value for so many: newly-out students looking for community; transgender and nonbinary students seeking gender-affirming spaces; straight and cisgender students committed to equity in their legal careers; and law professors and administrators who want to ensure that their students can thrive throughout their legal education.”
 
The National LGBT Bar Association also re-released a best practices guide informed by the needs and wants of LGBTQ+ law students and faculty, together with the survey data. The guide provides best practices and strategies to support LGBTQ+ law school community members. The LGBT Bar’s Lavender Law 365® LGBTQ+ diversity, equity, and inclusion coaching and consulting program has also been designed specifically to enable the implementation of best practice standards for LGBTQ+ equity across law schools, as well as firms and companies. 
 
“The best practices guide helps law schools build a better tomorrow for their entire community, and for the profession as a whole,” said O’Kelley. 
 
Results from the 2020-21 LGBTQ+ Law School Campus Climate Survey, including an executive summary of the results, as well as the LGBTQ+ Best Practices for Law Schools: A Guide to Institutional Equity are available on LGBT Bar's website at https://lgbtbar.org/climate-survey/climate-survey-2021/.

About the Campus Climate Survey
In November of 2020, the National LGBT Bar Association and Foundation invited all ABA-accredited law schools in the United States to participate in the National LGBT Bar Association’s third annual Law School Campus Climate Survey. This survey was designed to identify policies and procedures that specifically impact the schools’ LGBTQ+ population. To learn more or request that your school participate next year, contact the LGBT Bar at lawschools@lgbtbar.org. 

About the National LGBT Bar Association
The National LGBT Bar Association and Foundation is a national association of lawyers, judges and other legal professionals, law students, activists, and affiliated lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender legal organizations. The LGBT Bar promotes justice in and through the legal profession for the LGBTQ+ community in all its diversity. To learn more, visit www.lgbtbar.org.