New housing gives LGBT students safer place to call home

(AP) — A gigantic rainbow flag adorns one wall in Haiden Baier's new college dorm room, alongside a few photos, illustrations and the lyrics to a Fall Out Boy song.

For any student, the first days of living with a new roommate can be nerve-racking, but for students who don't fall into traditional gender norms, there's an added layer of unease, Baier said - concerns about being judged and making others uncomfortable.

The new housing option also marks the 10th anniversary of UNF's LGBT Resource Center.

Since the Center's inception, shifts in public opinion and landmark Supreme Court decisions have created a significantly more accepting environment on many college campuses, advocates say.

According to the latest UNF poll of LGBT students about the campus climate — taken in 2010 — about half report experiencing at least one incident of bias or harassment due to sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.

In the city as a whole, the debate over expanding protections against discrimination to the LGBT community — a hot-button issue of this year's election — has not yet returned to City Hall, but the city is expected to make the decision later this fall.

"A lot of times, I think bigotry and prejudice occur because people don't have the education and the knowledge, and they don't know people whose lives are affected by these issues," said Kaitlin Legg, assistant director of the UNF Resource Center.

Legg said with recent developments, such as the legalization of gay marriage and widespread coverage of celebrities Caitlyn Jenner and Laverne Cox raising the profile of transgender people, she expects to see significant progress.