Campus Pride dumps UCF, UNF from rankings of best universities for LGBTQ students

UCF facilities lit up in colors of Rainbow Flag. Image via UCF.

A group spotlighting positive college environments for LGBTQ students just dropped two Florida universities from its rankings.

Campus Pride excluded the University of Central Florida (UCF) and the University of North Florida (UNF) from its Best of the Best LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges & Universities list. That’s despite both colleges earning high marks in prior years.

Instead, the organization issued a “red alert” cautioning students against attending.

The reason? The organization issued a press release citing a new law (SB 266) overhauling Florida’s higher education system in part by prohibiting spending on diversity, equity and inclusion programs or classes.

“Campus Pride issues a ‘red alert’ warning to prospective students and families that the excluded universities’ 5-star rating will inevitably go down,” said Campus Pride Founder, CEO and Executive Director Shane Mendez Windmeyer.

“New laws in Texas and Florida effectively require colleges and universities in those states to cease LGBTQ+ inclusive programs, services and policies. Students and families must exercise caution in choosing to go to college on any public Florida or Texas campus.”

The warning notably came out the same week the Florida Board of Education approved several controversial measures including enforcement requirements on segregating bathrooms and changing facilities by gender at birth, even in student housing.

“New state laws endanger and harm LGBTQ+ people, particularly transgender students, and create hostile and unwelcoming learning environments for all students,” Mendez Windmeyer said.

The Florida campuses will still be included in the Campus Pride Index, but the organization said scores there will be impacted as new laws and regulations go into effect. Profiles in the index will be updated later this year.

Notably, Campus Pride’s Best of the Best list in 2022 ranked UNF as the top school in the Southeast United States.

UCF, which boasts the second highest enrollment of any university in the U.S, was ranked in 2021 by Campus Pride as the best university in Florida for LGBTQ students to attend.