National organization dubs campus as among most LGBTQIA+ friendly

���鵺��̳ has placed third in the United States in a ranking of the most LGBTQIA+-friendly colleges and universities in the nation.

It is the highest ranking among New England schools in the new analysis from BestColleges.com. The report identifies institutions that excel in providing academic, financial and social resources for LGBTQIA+ students.

“I am really happy to see this,” said Nate Carey, ’27, a theater major from Burlington. “A lot of people, including me, choose this school because of the LGBTQIA+ friendliness. .... It’s a very safe school and a very supportive school.”

BestColleges.com, which based its analysis partly on federal data, called ���鵺��̳ a “best value” institution and praised the many opportunities for “students to understand and explore LGBTQ+ identity and culture.” It also highlighted Pride Center activities such as Big Queer Welcome, the Pride365 mentorship program and Queer Prom.

“It brings a lot of positive feelings,” Carolyn Taggart, director of the Pride Center, said of the ranking. “It really highlights the good work that’s being done campuswide.”

New this school year, Pride365 connects first-year students with upperclass peer mentors who help ease the transition to ���鵺��̳. Participants also take a one-credit class.

“It’s not lost on me or our students that we’re very fortunate as we see the political climate in other parts of the country where (similar) centers are not allowed to operate or not allowed to operate in the way that we do – very loud and proud,” Taggart said.

At ���鵺��̳, 14 percent of students openly identify as LGBTQIA+.  And approximately 94 percent of LGBTQIA+ full-time students who started in fall 2023 returned for the spring semester, a retention rate that is up by 11 percentage points in five years.

The university offers support in all areas of campus life. Those initiatives include gender-inclusive bathrooms and housing, trans-inclusive student health insurance, and easy processes to update names and share pronouns.

Even seemingly small things like using accurate pronouns make a huge difference, Nate said.

“Bridgewater wasn’t initially on my radar when I was in high school,” said Nate, who first came across ���鵺��̳ while researching LGBTQIA+-friendly colleges. “I came here and instantly fell in love with the campus. Especially when I saw all the housing supports and gender-neutral bathrooms and the Pride Center, all of it definitely played a part in my decision.”

Now Nate is fully immersed in campus life. He performed in the theatrical production Spamalot and is taking the stage this fall in a production of Marie Antoinette.

Nate also works as a peer liaison at the Pride Center, where he plans community-building events for students. He appreciates opportunities to explore LGBTQIA+ issues from a social justice lens.

For Taggart, ���鵺��̳’s strong ranking underscores the caring, welcoming environment that she helps cultivate.

“It’s a definite privilege of mine that I get to do this work,” they said. “I wish when I was a college student that there were these opportunities for me.”

Do you have a ���鵺��̳ story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu.

I am really happy to see this. A lot of people, including me, choose this school because of the LGBTQIA+ friendliness. .... It’s a very safe school and a very supportive school.

When a rainbow appears in the sky after the storm, it is often viewed as a sign of hope. For others it carries a more personal meaning, a representation of diversity and inclusion. 

Using the colorful symbol, the ���鵺��̳ Pride Center recently created a new logo. Meet rainbow bear, a fashionable way to support the university’s LGBTQIA+ community. 

Twelve percent of ���鵺��̳ students openly identify as LBGTQIA+ and the Pride Center strives to offer resources to promote their success and foster a campus climate of inclusion and equity. 

“Visuals matter,” said Pride Center Director Carolyn Taggart. “It’s important for our alumni and students – those that currently go here as well as prospective students –  to have visual representation, to show everyone that ���鵺��̳ is a place where you can be your authentic self.” 

Currently shirts with what Taggart calls “Rainbow Bristaco” are available in the ���鵺��̳ bookstore, located in the atrium of East Campus Commons, as well as online. 

Taggart, who took over at the Pride Center director in 2021, would like to take credit for the inclusive logo, but said she came across it by accident. 

Last year, when organizing the ���鵺��̳ Pride Games Taggart was looking through old files when she discovered the brightly colored bear. 

“I’m not sure of the lineage of it, but I liked it when I came across it,” she said. 

From there Taggart went through the proper channels to get it approved and created stickers that were handed out during various events. 

“We did eight local pride events last May and June and many alumni were excited to see and receive a Rainbow Bristaco sticker. It was fun to be able to hand them out and alums appreciated seeing ���鵺��̳ showing its pride,” she said. 

This year Taggart took it one step further to create the rainbow bear shirts and hopes to add more items, including hats and tumblers in the near future. 

She can’t stress enough why symbols like the rainbow bear and the pride crosswalk, located near the Turchon Tunnel, matter. 

“We really want people to know, that when they come here, that we welcome you, we care about you and to see that visibility, to see that symbol means a lot,” Taggart said. 

These visuals of inclusivity represent how ���鵺��̳ actively lives its values, she said. 

“���鵺��̳ sees you for you, Taggart said. “We work hard to put resources in place for not just the LGBTQIA+ population to succeed but for all students to succeed. We want folks to know when they come here, they can be themselves authentically.” 

Do you have a ���鵺��̳ story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu 

Visuals matter. It’s important for our alumni and students – those that currently go here as well as prospective students –  to have visual representation, to show everyone that ���鵺��̳ is a place where you can be your authentic self.

As students return to campus this semester and the world continues to navigate the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, many may be experiencing anxiety.

For those struggling, it’s important to know supports are in place at ���鵺��̳ to help manage these feelings.

A great starting point is the ���鵺��̳ Wellness Center.

“We all need supportive and caring people to help us navigate the stresses and worries of life, people who can help us get through the ups and downs that we all experience,” said Donna Schiavo, clinical director of the Wellness Center.

Confidential counseling services are offered free, in both individual and group settings. For those not comfortable talking with a counselor, there are online tools and services.

is a virtual, peer-to-peer, anonymous support community where students can share their concerns. The online community is moderated by mental health professionals and offers students a safe place to draw strength and gain insights from peers.

Also available is , another free online resource that helps students better understand feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression, and suggests ways to manage these feelings. To register for an account, students can download the WellTrack app on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and register using their @student.bridgew.edu email address.

Beyond the Wellness Center, it’s important for students to know that community members across campus are invested in their mental health.

“Being a support system is our biggest draw for students to come in and vent, and ask for resources,” said Diana Mendes, interim assistant director of the Lewis and Gaines Center for Inclusion and Equity (LGCIE), located in the Rondileau Student Union.

For some students, there isn’t a safe space at home where they can express themselves, therefore they tend to suppress their emotions.

“When a student is experiencing so many different types of feelings and not being validated at home, that student often suffers in silence,” said LGCIE Interim Director Michael Walsh, adding that many students of color, particularly males, tend to suppress uncomfortable feelings.

Walsh said part of his job is to let students know they do have a place to turn to and that help is always available.

“The LGCIE is a safe place, where students can keep an eye on each other, have conversations and connect with others,” he said. “By having thoughtful, real, careful conversations, we’re able to understand what some of our students are dealing with in terms of their mental health.”

A Quiet Lounge is set up at the ���鵺��̳ Pride Center where students can sit, relax, read, or work on homework. Coloring books, crayons, markers, puzzles, and paper are also offered in the lounge to help students unwind.

“You can always drop into the Pride Center between classes if you’re looking for a place to hang out, meet and be around other LGBTQIA+ people, find out more about different programs, events and social opportunities,” said Pride Center Director Carolyn Taggart. “I’m happy to meet with students one-on-one to assist them in finding resources.”

The Military and Veteran Student Center hosts ongoing events that focus on peer support, including one scheduled for May 4 where students can come together and de-stress during finals week.

This spring the center is also launching a Green to Grad program intended to bolster support for students transitioning from servicemember to student.

“Our goal as educators is to prepare students for life after college, and one of the things we should be fostering is the belief that it’s okay to be vulnerable,” said Brian Duchaney, director of military and veteran student services. “It’s important for us to be building opportunities for students to come together and share their experiences.”

Do you have a ���鵺��̳ story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu 

Our goal as educators is to prepare students for life after college, and one of the things we should be fostering is the belief that it’s okay to be vulnerable.

Pride Center founding director departs, but the mission continues

The ���鵺��̳ Pride Center is losing its founding director, Lee Forest, but administration officials vow to continue its tradition of supporting the LGBTQ+ community.

“���鵺��̳ owes Lee Forest a debt of gratitude for their extraordinary leadership of the GLBTQ Pride Center for its first 14-and-a-half years,” said Sabrina Gentlewarrior, vice president of success and diversity.

Forest brought about important institutional changes that included housing assignments based on gender identity and using “lived” names which allow those to use a name that aligns with their gender identity.

“As our understanding evolves, we are able to identify more language that’s more reflective of our realities. It took some time to make that happen, but now it’s everywhere across campus, it’s fantastic,” Forest said.

These changes, and other important efforts, have helped to create a more supportive and inclusive environment for the Bridgewater State LGBTQ+ community.

From the start, as director of the Pride Center, Forest set specific goals.

“I wanted to educate the world but am happy to start with ���鵺��̳…I want to educate as many people as possible about the truth of LGBTQ+ lives. There’s a lot of misinformation out there, as is true with all minoritized populations,” Forest said.

Within the Pride Center Forest also wanted to create a welcoming environment: “I think creating that home away from home for students…anytime a student or alumni tell me I made a difference in their lives, that makes me incredibly proud.”

For Cristina Dudziak, ’22, a psychology major who works at the Pride Center, she has a hard time describing the impact the center and Forest have had.

“I didn’t think the Pride Center would be such an enormous part of my life and ���鵺��̳ experience. Through many conversations with Lee, they really helped me understand myself so much better. I got to know myself,” Cristina said.

Fine Arts major Elliot Philie, ’23, who also works at the Pride Center, said the center has done exactly what Forest intended, provided him/them with a home away from home.

“It made me aware that there are many people like me, or at least allies,” Elliot said. “With so many different identities and races (at ���鵺��̳), Lee has made sure everyone feels comfortable in the Pride Center.”

The foundation Forest built will live on. A nationwide search for a new Pride Center director is underway and the successful candidate will be expected to pick up where Forest left off.

“We look forward to welcoming a new colleague to continue the GLBTA Pride Center’s important work,” Gentlewarrior said.

As for Forest, they will continue to help educate the campus community and are looking to offer a Name in Use training this fall.

The online, self-paced course will focus on ways people can be respectful and use correct and current terminology when interacting with members of the transgender community.

“I am thrilled that ���鵺��̳ will continue to benefit from Lee’s skill, compassion and equity-mindedness as they continue their work on behalf of ���鵺��̳ students through their role in the Teaching and Technology Center,” Gentlewarrior said.

Do you have a ���鵺��̳ story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu 

I think creating that home away from home for students…anytime a student or alumni tell me I made a difference in their lives, that makes me incredibly proud.