The Top 10 Trans-Friendly Colleges and Universities

With improvements made across the country, for the first time ever, Campus Pride can assemble a list of the most welcoming places for trans students to go to college.

BY Genny Beemyn and Shane Windmeyer

August 15 2012 5:00 AM ET

University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Amherst, Mass.
Campus Pride Index LGBT-Friendly Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Gender Identity/Expression Score: 5 out of 5 Stars

University of Massachusetts, Amherst, the largest campus in the UMass system, has changed dramatically since arch trans hater Janice Raymond was a member of its faculty in Women’s Studies (among the changes, it is now Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies). In the last five years, the university has gone from having almost no trans-supportive policies in place to being at the forefront of trans inclusiveness, including developing a policy that supports the participation of trans students in campus sports. The Stonewall Center, the campus LGBT center, produces many resources for trans students, most notably a resource guide of area trans-supportive service providers — everyone from therapists and physicians to cosmetologists and attorneys. UMass Amherst also created the country’s first LGBT and ally residence hall community, which is marking its 20th year this fall.