UGA, Georgia Southern drop LGBTQ terms from nondiscrimination policies

Two of Georgia’s largest universities quietly removed language from their nondiscrimination policies earlier this year, a move some fear will lead to increased harassment of LGBTQ students as the new semester begins.

In March, the University of Georgia updated its policy by eliminating the terms “sexual orientation” and “gender identity.” Georgia Southern University followed suit a few months later; while its previous policy said the school prohibits discrimination, harassment and retaliation based on a dozen categories, it has removed “sexual orientation,” “gender identity or expression” and “political affiliation” from the list.

The removals “put the university at a disadvantage in trying to push back against any harassment or bad conduct that happens on the campus,” said Gregory Nev