REPORT IT: Report Bias & Hate, Find Help & Document, Prevent Future Incidents

Campus Pride encourages students to #ReportIt when they witness or experience discrimination at their college or university. By completing the form, Campus Pride can gather data to improve our work, provide assistance to LGBTQ students who wish to file complaints with the Office for Civil Rights in the Department of Education.

Please share this form and encourage lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students and their peers to #ReportIt. It’s vital to remember that anyone who knows of a case of discrimination on their campus has the right to report.

HOW TO USE THIS FORM?

Campus Pride’s #ReportIt form is meant for any individual to report direct or indirect incidents for information sharing, data collection, or (if/when possible) response purposes.

Fill out your incident reporting form with as much detail as possible. Though reports may be filed anonymously, please be aware this may limit our ability to respond or follow up accordingly. Remember that this form is not a substitution for campus judicial processes, campus bias reporting procedures, police reports, etc.

What is the Office for Civil Rights?

The Office for Civil Rights enforces several federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance from the Department of Education. Their mission is to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence through vigorous enforcement of civil rights in the nation’s schools. Find out further information.

What if I’m not certain my experience counts as discrimination?

Many LGBTQ students face obstacles every day at their college or university that may not qualify as criminal activity under the law. We call these bias incidents, acts of hate and hostility that are motivated by one’s race, religion, sexual identity, gender, gender identity/expression or other protected statuses.

If you believe you or a friend or family member has experienced or witnessed a bias incident, we still encourage you to fill out this form so that Campus Pride can provide guidance, clarity and support as well as gather statistical information useful in our work to advance LGBTQ rights on college campuses nationwide.

Is it really important to file a report with Campus Pride or with the Office for Civil Rights?

Yes! Though reporting can be intimidating, your information helps us to better understand the challenges LGBTQ students face at institutions so that we can continually improve our work to protect LGBTQ students.  In additions, some campuses will not share or document bias incidents toward LGBTQ people and would rather lead people to believe that anti-LGBTQ bias or discrimination does not occur.

Tips for filing an OCR report:

1. A complaint must be filed within 180 days of when the incident of discrimination or harassment occurred.
2. Filling out the entire form, with as much detail as possible, will help your proceedings move quicker.
3. If you are a victim of harassment or discrimination, you have the right to report. If you witnessed an act of harassment or discrimination, you have the right to report. If you are a third party of the victim (friend, family member or faculty), you have the right to report.
4. Reports to the OCR are confidential and cannot be shared without your permission.
5. Your school and anyone employed by your school cannot retaliate against anyone who has reported or assisted in a Title IX investigation.

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