In November of 2022, the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association and Foundation invited all ABA-accredited law schools in the United States to participate in the National LGBTQ+ Bar’s fourth annual Law School Campus Climate Survey. This year, for the first time, we also invited non-ABA accredited California law schools, including those accredited by the state of California and those not so accredited. This survey was designed to identify policies and procedures that specifically impact the schools’ LGBTQ+ population. The survey asked each school to identify only that law school’s policies and data, and not those of any broader University structure associated with that law school (unless overall University policy guides law school policy).
As a companion to this survey, the National LGBTQ+ Bar has created a Best Practices Guide (updated in April 2022) as a resource to assist law schools in their efforts to foster a safe, welcoming community free from discrimination. In addition, in 2019 the National LGBTQ+ Bar launched a DEI Consulting Practice (formerly Lavender Law 365™), that is designed specifically to enable the implementation of best practice standards for LGBTQ+ equity across law schools, law firms, and companies. Please visit the DEI Consulting Practice page to learn more.
In addition to the information contained in the Campus Climate Survey, the National LGBTQ+ Bar has compiled nondiscrimination policies for each ABA-accredited law school in the United States and has noted whether each school bars discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and/or gender identity. This data represents our best information as of May 2, 2022 (Note: the charts below include additional surveys submitted after the deadline, which were not included in the Executive Summary). If you are affiliated with an ABA-accredited law school and believe that our information is out-of-date, please contact Chief Program Officer, Judi O’Kelley, at judi@lgbtqbar.org with an updated link to your law school’s nondiscrimination policy. The National LGBTQ+ Bar profusely thanks the 108 law schools that responded to this survey.
The grids below highlight many of the questions and answers that the 108 (106 ABA and 2 other California) responding schools answered in our full survey, based upon the schools’ 2021-2022 school year policies and data. The survey consisted of 27 questions many of which had sub-parts. Based on the schools’ responses to the original questions, they were not always asked to answer the sub-parts, or the sub-parts were not applicable based on school policy. In such cases, the fields have been left empty. However, a field that says “Answer left blank” indicates that the school was asked for that information but chose not to answer. Please click on each individual school’s name for more detailed answers and information.
2021-2022 ABA Law Schools
2021-2022 California Non-ABA Law Schools
Law School | Seeks out prospective LGBTQ+ students? | Welcome packet mentions identity group support? | Option for students to self-identify? | Total Students Enrolled | Total self-identified LGBTQ+ students | Total self-identified LGBTQ+ students of color | Lesbian | Gay | Bisexual / pansexual | Transgender/Nonbinary | Queer or gender / sexual orientation minority | Allows trans/ nonbinary students to change name-in-use? | Offers scholarships specifically for LGBTQ+ students? | Seeks to employ diverse faculty, including LGBTQ+? | Option for faculty/staff to self-identify? | Total faculty employed | Total self-identified LGBTQ+ faculty | Total self-identified LGBTQ+ faculty of color | Lesbian | Gay | Bisexual / Pansexual | Transgender / Nonbinary | Queer or gender/sexual orientation minority | How many staff/administrators are employed by your law school? | Total self-identified LGBTQ+ staff/ administrators | Total self-identified LGBTQ+ staff/administrators of color | Lesbian | Gay | Bisexual / Pansexual | Transgender / Nonbinary | Queer or gender/sexual orientation minority | Health and family benefits available to employees? | Offers transition-related health benefits? (Employees) | Offers student benefit plan | Benefits available on equal terms with same-sex partnership? | Benefits plans include special needs LGBTQ+ students? | Offers transition-related health benefits? (Students) | Offers students health/ counseling/ therapy services? | Campus healthcare providers receive LGBTQ-competency training? | Has single-stall or multi-stall, gender-inclusive restrooms? | Has restroom access policy? | Offers LGBTQ+- specific courses? | Has active LGBTQ+ student group? | Offers funding for outside LGBTQ+ events? | Has hate/bias incident policy? | Mandatory anti-sexual harassment training with LGBTQ+ content | D&I training with LGBTQ+ content? |
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Empire College School of Law | No | No | No | 70 | Unknown. | Unknown. | Unknown. | Unknown. | Unknown. | Unknown. | Unknown. | Yes | No | Yes | No | 25-35 | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | 8 | None | None | None | None | None | None | None | Yes | Unsure | No | No | No | No | No | View CommentsYes, we offer such a course, but only every other year (please specify in 20a below) | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | |||
University of West Los Angeles | No | No | Yes | 219 | View CommentsDue to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering question in order to protect the privacy of our students. | View CommentsDue to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering question in order to protect the privacy of our students. | View CommentsDue to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering question in order to protect the privacy of our students. | View CommentsDue to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering question in order to protect the privacy of our students. | View CommentsDue to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering question in order to protect the privacy of our students. | View CommentsDue to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering question in order to protect the privacy of our students. | View CommentsDue to the size of our community, we respectfully decline answering question in order to protect the privacy of our students. | Yes | View CommentsOnly general diversity scholarships | Yes | Yes | 55 | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | 31 | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Yes | Unsure | No | No | No | N/A - we are virtual | N/A - we are entirely virtual | View CommentsYes, we offer such a course, but only every other year (please specify in 20a below) | No | No | Yes | Yes | View CommentsYes, mandatory for all faculty/staff/administrators |
This year for the first time, the National LGBTQ+ Bar invited our Law School Affiliate student groups to provide input about the LGBTQ+ student experience at their schools. Because only three student groups responded, and only one such group was from a school which completed our primary survey this year, we are including their responses here. We thank the three participating Law School Affiliate student groups for their input!