With Bill Senate Ohio 1 prompted many university LGBTQ centers this spring, students are preparing to return to the campus in August with reduced resources and increased concerns about the sense of belonging and general security.
SB1, i.e. the Act on Higher Education Ohio Ohio Ohio, was introduced by the Senator of the Republican State Jerry Cirino in February 2025. After the quick sentence of the Senate and the Chamber, the law was signed by Governor Mike Dewin in March 2025.
Because the Act requires stopping all over the diversity, own capital and integration programs in public education institutions in Ohio, schools began to eliminate resources and close valuable programs within a few weeks. Unfortunately, LGBTQ Centers+ inevitably were one of the first.
Ohio University announced the closing of its Pride center, along with their multicultural center and the center of women at the end of April. Similarly, Kent State University (KSU) announced the closing of the LGBTQ center at the beginning of June.
These closures caused nervousness and slack among many residents and organizations in Ohio. In response, the two -specific foundations of the community take direct action to combat LGBTQ+support.
The Portage Foundation and the Athens Foundation have created modern initiatives supporting students and residents of LGBTQ+.
The Portage Foundation established LGBTQ+ fund This is to collect resources that will allow replication of LGBTQ+ Center services in KSU. The fund will combine students with existing LGBTQ+ programs in Portage and will provide emergency facilitate for students of LGBTQ+ and needy community members.
Janice Simmons-Mortimer, director of the Portage Foundation, reflects that many members of the community expressed disappointment with the loss of LGBTQ+ KSU Center and asked about the foundation’s ability to solve some of these losses by financing community and support.
“SB1 had a huge impact on universities and universities, and because the news said that specific centers are closing-especially in Kent State here in Portage-we had many community members to us, asking for something, and as a social foundation it is the core of what we do,” says Simmons-Mortimer.
The LGBTQ Fund+ Portage Foundation Foundation has been operating for several weeks, receiving several thousand dollars of financing before the payment process.
Although KSU is the main presence of Ohio in this region, the Portage Foundation said that their LGBTQ+ fund goes beyond KSU students, serving as a resource for all students of LGBTQ+ in Portage and LGBTQ students in LGBTQ+ students attending studies in border poviats.
In the south -eastern Ohio, the Athens Foundation established an initiative similar to the LGBTQ Portage Fund – Pride County Athens fund.
This fund, designed to repeat the services provided by the Pride Center of the University of Ohio, is also to facilitate every person in Athena’s Ferry in the sense of seen and respected.
The Athena Fund will provide resources to nearby non -profit organizations and public agencies devoted to supporting the LGBTQ+ community by programming facilitate and events.
“In the light of today’s environment, we know that many small non -profit and grassroots groups accelerate to support the LGBTQ+community, and these efforts require increased resources,” said Kerry Pigman, director of the Athens Foundation.
The Pride County Fund for Athena’s Fundy provided resources and support for residents for several weeks.
“Our local donors are deeply careful for this work, and the Pride Fund creates a path to combine their support directly with organizations that change the Earth,” said Pigman. Ding
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If you want to support the Portage County LGBTQ+fund, click Here.
If you want to support the Pride County County fund, click Here.
