The first blog post in our Tips for Underrepresented Students Series focuses on resources for the LGBTQIA+ community. Although the last couple years have been revolutionary with their increase in inclusive dialogue and equal representation, there’s always room for more.
Studying abroad is a very exciting and potentially anxiety-provoking adventure in general, but it can be possibly more nerve-wracking for LGBTQIA+ students because there are different cultural expectations and norms abroad. Below we have several different resources to help ease some of the anxiety you may be feeling so that we can make study abroad a reality for you!
For first hand advice, check out this blog from Go Overseas, and read this more recent blog post from a San Diego State student who was studying in Ecuador during the Orlando attack.
For programs that specifically focus on LGBT Studies and Issues, check out GoAbroad.
For information about the social climate and safety in specific countries, check out Diversity Abroad:
- Click on the ‘Destinations’ tab at the top which will take you to location-specific links to more information
- Once you locate the country you’re interested in, scroll down to the Diversity Guide, which will tell you how this country specifically deals with the LGBTQIA+ community
UMD’s Somewhere Over the Rainbow program offers webinars specifically regarding the LGBTQIA+ community in a global/international context. For their schedule of upcoming webinars and links to recordings of past webinars, click here!
Did you know that there are scholarship opportunities specifically for LGBTQIA+ students? GoAbroad did the work for you and listed 12 scholarships that they found to be the most relevant and helpful.
*These are by no means all of the scholarship options. Speak to your Study Abroad Advisor to brainstorm other sources of funding.
Additional information about health and safety abroad for the LGBTQIA+ community and resources can be found through CIS Abroad, who developed a specific initiative, as a part of Generation Study Abroad, to increase access and programming for LGBTQIA+ students.
We understand that this isn’t an exhaustive list and acknowledge that there are many more available resources to access, but we hope that this blog serves as a resource for that anyone can study abroad and have a wonderful experience regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
If you have any suggestions or questions, please feel free to contact the office at studyabroad@towson.edu