Dive Summary:
- In the two years since the suicide of gay Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi, the school has increased the number of resources available for gay and transgender students.
- Today, LGBT students at Rutgers have four specialized housing options to choose from, 130 faculty and staff who have been trained as official campus liaisons and a 92-page handbook that lists campus resources for "queer issues."
- Rutgers has a long history of diversity and inclusiveness, with groups like the Rutgers Homophile League dating back to 1969, but even students are sometimes caught off guard by the school's embrace following its increased efforts in the wake of Clementi's death.
From the article:
It has been two years since Tyler Clementi, a gay freshman at Rutgers University, committed suicide after learning that his roommate had ridiculed his sexuality and invited friends to spy on him and another man through a webcam. That terrible episode brought the school national attention, none of it welcome: previously known as a large and diverse state school, Rutgers became associated with homophobia and cruelty. ...