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Choosing the right college is a challenging yet rewarding process. There are many different factors to consider, one of them being your sexual orientation or gender identity. Below you will find a list of Frequently Asked Questions about things to consider as an LGBT student at the Claremont Colleges.

In addition, I would love to chat with you about your decision-making process. Please contact me via email or phone for any of the following reasons:

• If you have other questions or want to talk more specifically about a certain topic
• If you would like to make an appointment with me during your campus visit to talk or for a tour of the Queer Resource Center
• If you would like to get in contact with a current student to ask them questions about their experiences

Phone number: (909) 607-1269 or campus extension 71269
Email address: Joshua.Nelson@Pomona.edu

Frequently Asked Questions:

Do the Claremont Colleges have a Nondiscrimination Policy that includes sexual orientation and gender identity?
Each of the colleges has their own Nondiscrimination Policy, however all universities in the state of California are prohibited by law to discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

For a more detailed look at the laws, check out the following California codes:
EDUCATION CODE
SECTION 66030 (b)

PENAL CODE
SECTION 422.55-422.57

Are there other queer student organizations on campus?
As of now there are six other queer organizations and two mentor programs on the five colleges.  The organizations range from TRANScend, a transgender discussion-based group to Women on Women, a queer and questioning women’s group.  For more information on the organizations, click on Get Involved.

As for mentor programs, there is one that matches students with student mentors and one that matches them with faculty and staff mentors.  For more information on the mentor groups, click on Mentor Programs.

The wonderful thing about the Claremont Colleges is that if you would like to see an organization exist that doesn’t already, you are encouraged and able to start up your own! 

Are there out staff and faculty on campus?
Yes!  One of the easiest ways to find one is to sign up for the Queer Faculty and Staff Mentor Program.  In addition, there are regular lunches, held at different dining halls on campus, where queer faculty, staff and students get a chance to eat and talk together.   Finally, faculty and staff often get involved with on-campus programming, whether by being a panelist, giving a lecture or merely attending as an audience member.  However you get to know out faculty and staff, they all enjoy getting to know students.

Are there any queer classes at the Claremont Colleges?
Absolutely!  As of yet we don’t have a Queer Studies Major or Minor, but there are numerous classes with queer content.  A few of the past classes have been:  Queering Asian America, Black Queer Narratives, Gay and Lesbian Authors, Gay and Lesbian Ethnographies, Global Gay Rights, Media and Sexuality, Biology, Gender & Society, Gender & Sexuality in Early Modern Europe, Introduction to Queer Theory, Queer Film & Media, and Major Figures in 20th-Century American Literature: James Baldwin, Introduction to Gender & Women’s Studies.

Transgender housing options
As a first-year: though there is no option, yet, to identify yourself as transgender for the ‘gender’ box, you should feel comfortable identifying yourself as such on your housing form.  The administrators in the housing departments have varying degrees of training in transgender issues, but all of them are interested in finding the best accommodations for you as possible.

Coming soon will be a section detailing the various protocol each of the colleges has in housing self-identified transgender students.

Student perspective on the campus climate for LGBT students at the Claremont Colleges
Coming Soon

Student perspective on Queer life in Claremont/ LA area
Coming Soon

What queer things are there to do in the area?
Though Claremont is not known for a thriving gay scene, there are a number of venues worth a visit.  Out for Coffee is a gay friendly coffee shop, Oasis and Alibis are two local gay nightclubs, and there is a monthly PFLAG meeting in Pasadena. 

If you venture into the LA area, there are many gay establishments to visit.  West Hollywood has rainbow flags flying from the street lamps, announcing its queer friendly nature.  A Different Light is a gay bookstore, Out of the Closet is a gay thrift store, The Abbey is a gay bar and Tigerheat is a gay club, just to name a few popular spots. 

Each October, the Claremont Colleges, in conjunction with UC Riverside and Cal Poly Pomona, charter a bus to visit Gay LA, including stops at the Gay and Lesbian Center, ONE institute at USC, Metropolitan Community Church and other gay locations.  In addition, the QRC takes various trips into LA to see gay movies, eat at gay restaurants and go clubbing.  We realize that not every student has a car and we don’t want that precluding them from taking advantage of all LA has to offer.

What annual events does the QRC put on?

What are some other events that the QRC puts on?

• Queer First-Years Gathering
  
• Kate Bornstein Performance and Workshop
  
• Ally Training
  
• Drag Show
  
• Intersecting Identities Panel
  
• Out at Work alumni panels
  
• Queers on Ice (Ice skating)
  
• Transgender Video Series
  
• Dyke Social
  
• Queer Teas
  
• Trips to Dance Clubs
  
• Study Breaks
  
• Queerness and Capitalism Panel
  
• Queerness in Asian America Panel
  
• Queers and Homelessness Speaker
  
• Queer-Straight Prom
  
• Queer Rights Teach-In
  
• Trips to Gay Movies
  
• Homohop screening and performance

I’ve visited and seen all of the ‘I Support Queer Rights’ signs.  What do they mean?
The QRC prints many ‘I Support Queer Rights’ signs for students to place on their doors.  This is one of our ways of helping queer students and allies to show support for LGBT students on campus.  Though it means something different for each person who hangs it on their door, the signs send a message that the majority of the student body is not willing to tolerate homophobic or transphobic behavior.