Our Crowdfunding Groups
The UofM Pride and Equity Alliance is raising money to support our LGBTQ+ students in need. Your donation will allow our campus partners to assist students facing financial challenges (including food and housing insecurities), emotional and mental health concerns, and safety issues due to their identities.
Higher education offers young adults the opportunity to celebrate their identities and grow as an individual. Unfortunately, some students come to campus with damaged or non-existent support systems as a result of their sexuality or gender identity. During the pandemic, some of these students had no where to go besides back home, regardless of if they felt supported and accepted there. According to a study conducted by the Williams Institute at the University of California Los Angeles School of Law, LGBTQ+ students were twice as likely to have faced housing insecurities during the COVID-19 pandemic, and approximately half of those respondents indicated that they were not out to family members about their sexual orientation. LGBTQ students were twice as likely to lose financial aid. 65% of transgender students said their academics were negatively impacted by the pandemic, compared to 30% of their cisgender peers. With the creation of this Emergency Fund, LGBTQ+ students at the University of Memphis will have a resource to support them to graduation.
The Pride and Equity Alliance is involved in many areas on campus and throughout the city. Members of the alliance represent the University of Memphis at campus events such as conferences, fairs, and gatherings as well as participate in city events or city organizations such as Pride Fest and Out Memphis. As a place of employment, the University of Memphis offers top-notch benefits to the LGBTQ+ community and sets the tone for a culture of acceptance for all employees. The alliance mentors the LGBTQ+ student population at the University of Memphis and reviews student life so that corrective measures can be taken, ensuring the best student experience possible for the LGBTQ+ population.
The Pride and Equity Alliance strives to create a better University of Memphis and a better Memphis for everyone of all gender designations and sexual orientations through partnerships, education, and the purest respect.
