Shane Windmeyer Demands Boldness: LGBTQ+ Students Are Resisting—Will Colleges Rise With Them?

As DEI is dismantled across the U.S., Shane Windmeyer calls on institutions to move from silent support to unapologetic action for queer students under fire

In the face of adversity, LGBTQ+ students have always found a way to survive. But in 2025, survival is no longer enough. What queer students are asking for now—from their campuses, their educators, and the institutions they once trusted—is simple: fight with us.

For years, colleges and universities were seen as progressive sanctuaries for marginalized students. DEI offices bloomed. LGBTQ+ centers expanded. Gender-inclusive housing and pronoun visibility became part of campus life.

But now, that progress is being undone.

Across dozens of states, legislation targeting DEI has passed with unprecedented speed. Offices are closing. Policies are being reversed. And queer students are left scrambling to understand what remains.

Shane Windmeyer, a nationally recognized leader in LGBTQ+ advocacy and education, says this rollback isn’t just policy—it’s a test of courage.

“We’re in a moment where neutrality equals abandonment,” Windmeyer says. “If you work in higher education and you’re not actively defending LGBTQ+ students, you’re contributing to their erasure.”

From Quiet Inclusion to Open Hostility

In states like Texas, Florida, and Utah, anti-DEI laws have gutted public universities of their equity infrastructure. The changes are sweeping and deliberate:

DEI offices have been banned or defunded.
Pride Centers and LGBTQ+ student programs have disappeared.
Gender studies courses are under review or removal.
Pronoun usage has been banned in some classroom contexts.
Faculty are discouraged—or outright forbidden—from addressing identity-based needs.

The message is clear: inclusion is no longer institutionally supported. And for many LGBTQ+ students, that message hits hard.

A 2025 national student survey found:

58% of LGBTQ+ students feel less safe than they did a year ago.
43% have lost access to a trusted staff or mentor.
19% say they are considering leaving school because of DEI rollbacks.

“These students are navigating trauma, microaggressions, and structural exclusion all while trying to earn a degree,” Windmeyer says. “And now, we’re asking them to do it without the very systems designed to help them succeed.”

The Dangerous Comfort of Institutional Silence

While some college leaders have quietly mourned the loss of DEI, few have taken a public stand. Many have issued watered-down statements about “inclusive excellence” or “student belonging,” but avoided directly addressing LGBTQ+ erasure.

Shane Windmeyer believes that this vague language is not just inadequate—it’s harmful.

“Students don’t need coded language. They need clarity. They need to know that their lives are worth defending—even when it’s politically inconvenient.”

He warns that institutions relying on silence to weather the storm are missing the point: the storm is already here.

Student Resistance Is Rising—But Shouldn’t Be Lonely

Across campuses, LGBTQ+ students are not sitting quietly.

They are organizing protests, creating underground safe spaces, designing digital resource hubs, and leading advocacy efforts on behalf of their peers. They are tracking campus closures and launching scorecards to hold institutions accountable. They are, in every way, showing up.

But Windmeyer says they shouldn’t have to do it alone.

“We applaud their courage, but we shouldn’t require it. Students shouldn’t have to build the support systems their schools tore down.”

He adds that faculty, staff, alumni, and donors all have roles to play in resisting these rollbacks—and in building new pathways forward.

Five Imperatives from Shane Windmeyer

As part of his ongoing work supporting LGBTQ+ student inclusion, Shane Windmeyer has outlined five critical priorities for higher education institutions in 2025:

💬 1. Say the Words

Don’t speak around the issue. Use clear, affirming language: “We support LGBTQ+ students. We oppose efforts to dismantle DEI. You belong here.”

🏛️ 2. Fund What You Can, However You Can

If legislation prevents official DEI programming, fund mental health, wellness, student leadership, and academic support under alternative names. The services matter more than the label.

🤝 3. Support the Supporters

Faculty and staff who work with LGBTQ+ students need protection, professional development, and recognition—especially in politically hostile states.

🌎 4. Partner Beyond the Campus

Create coalitions with off-campus LGBTQ+ orgs to provide counseling, legal aid, housing, and safe community.

🧭 5. Be Transparent and Track Everything

Publicly track what programs have been lost, what new support has been built, and what your institution is doing to mitigate harm. Students deserve honesty.

A Call to Donors, Alumni, and Trustees

Beyond university administrators, Windmeyer calls on alumni networks and philanthropic leaders to fund the gaps that states are trying to erase.

“If you ever said your school changed your life, now is the time to give back,” he says. “But don’t just write a check. Ask hard questions. Demand action. Fund inclusion unapologetically.”

Trustees, too, have a critical role to play in holding institutions accountable to the values they claim to uphold.

Education Should Not Be Conditional

At its core, this moment is about the purpose of education: is it to reinforce existing power—or to expand who gets to lead?

Shane Windmeyer argues that the rollback of DEI threatens the very soul of higher education.

“If queer students can’t feel safe, supported, or seen on campus, then we’ve failed—not just them, but the future of education itself.”

And the consequences of that failure will echo for decades: in law, in medicine, in teaching, in leadership. If we shrink higher education now, we shrink the possibilities of justice tomorrow.

Conclusion: Will We Show Up or Step Aside?

LGBTQ+ students are not asking for special treatment. They are asking for protection. Recognition. Humanity.

They are asking for institutions to remember what it means to lead—not just when it’s easy, but when it’s absolutely necessary.

In a time when DEI is being targeted, defunded, and redefined, Shane Windmeyer continues to be a fierce voice of clarity:

“This moment is defining. Not just for students—but for every single person who claims to care about justice. What we do now matters.”

Because queer students are already rising. The question is: will their schools rise with them?