PSU community members march in the Portland Pride Parade in July. (Courtesy of PSU Foundation)
At Portland State University, you can take gender and sexuality courses — and entire majors — that are being banned in other parts of the country, use your pronouns in class and find support and community at a dedicated Queer Resources Center.
While colleges across the nation are closing centers and cutting programs that center LGBTQ+ communities, PSU is doubling down — even launching a health certificate this fall that focuses on the unique needs of queer and transgender communities, the only one of its kind in the West.
Its efforts have landed PSU at No. 6 nationally among the most welcoming campuses for LGBTQ+ students, according to Out on Campus: The LGBTQ+ College Index 2026, recently featured in The Advocate. It also helps that PSU sits in the heart of a city with strong legal protections, gender-affirming care, and queer-owned spaces aplenty.
"Like Portland itself, it's just pretty normal to be queer and trans at PSU and that creates a great environment for everyone whether you're LGBTQ+ or not," said Miriam Abelson, professor and chair of Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies. "You can just be who you are, but also there are amazing academic programs, student supports and clubs where you can learn about and feel even closer to our communities and histories."
The index scored 1,718 four-year colleges against 12 public data sources, including campus policies, state and city laws, federal records and the community around each campus. PSU earned a perfect score on LGBTQ+ inclusive campus policies, and boasts six queer venues within two miles of campus.
LGBTQ+ students make up between 25-30% of PSU's student population and it is likely you’ll have a visibly queer professor at some point during your studies at PSU, says Erica Fonseca, director of Queer Student Services. She says that students who come from smaller and more conservative towns often report a sense of freedom and joy at the level of visible queerness, trans expression and overt displays of queer inclusivity — flags, signs, events, curriculum and programs — they see around campus.
"When queer and trans identities are centered and uplifted, allowing students to tap into queer campus life, it mitigates student isolation," Fonseca said. "Affirmed and connected students are happier, safer and better able to focus on their college experience."
Queer Resource Center
The Queer Resource Center serves as PSU's queer and trans student hub. It has three professional staff, a rarity these days as only 254 of the colleges in the report still run a professionally staffed LGBTQ+ center.
"There is an obvious queer presence that can be felt across campus," Fonseca said. "When I heard about the ranking, I felt a deep sense of care for the queer and trans students who come to PSU, almost like I can exhale knowing that so much of their experience as students here will be not only inclusive, but celebrated."
The QRC hosts four major campus events each year: Viking Days Drag Show, Transgender Day of Remembrance/Trans Empowerment Month, Pride Week and Lavender Graduation. Throughout the year, students can also attend weekly events and groups ranging from Queer and Trans BIPOC affinity spaces to letter-writing campaigns for incarcerated individuals.
Fonseca says the QRC is intentional about hosting programs that reflect intersectional queer experiences — and if students don't see a group that fits what they're looking for, they can start one with staff support. The QRC also has a student support fund that offers no-barrier financial stipends to students in need.
"The QRC is committed to supporting students materially and also by working with students who want to start groups, host events and build LGBT community spaces that reflect the uniqueness and beauty of their specific queer and trans identities," Fonseca said. "What has been central to cultivating a sense of safety and belonging is creating spaces where students can converge — spaces not only of reflection and support but of celebration and fun."
In the Classroom
Students can find community inside the classroom, too.
"We have faculty and programs that focus on LGBTQ+ issues so students that want to focus on that for their degree can," Abelson said. "And all students can take those classes for their general education requirements."
PSU offers a major and minor in Sexuality, Gender and Queer Studies, providing students with a nuanced study on issues connected to sexuality, gender and queer politics in the U.S. and around the world.
"There aren't a lot of programs elsewhere with that focus and similar programs are being shut down in other states and being eliminated through budget cuts elsewhere in Oregon and Washington," Abelson said.
This fall, PSU launched an undergraduate certificate in Two-Spirit and LGBTQ+ Health. The program focuses on Two-Spirit identities — a term used by many Native American and Indigenous cultures to describe people who embody both masculine and feminine traits — as well as broader queer and trans health care. The credential grew out of an initiative that brought together PSU and Oregon Health & Science University's local and regional expertise with strong student demand for training in the field. What started as a large seminar course evolved into a 16-credit certificate, one of only a few in the country. Abelson sees the credential as a value-add for pre-health students and others pursuing degrees in psychology, counseling and social work.
"Careers in health, whether you want to be a medical doctor, nurse, therapist or social worker or want to work in health policy or community health programs, will need to serve LGBTQ communities," she said. "Our programs really are for all students and helping all students serve all communities."
Other Supports
Some of PSU's schools and colleges also run programs designed to support students from historically underrepresented groups, including LGBTQ+ communities. In the School of Business, the staff-supported Atmos program provides students with academic, career and community support to help them see themselves as future business leaders and ensure better representation in executive spaces.
"We're moving forward and continuing to build support for LGBTQ+ students," Abelson said. "And unfortunately, that's not happening in some other places right now."