It is estimated that about 3.8% of the American population, about 12 million people, identify within the LGBT community. Further, of these 12 million people, 30% belong to the 18-29 age range - primarily made up of young college students, postgraduates, and professionals. This works out to, by very conservative estimates since these surveys depend on the "willingness of LGBT individuals to disclose their sexual orientation and gender identity", to about around 3,600,000 LGBT college students(PEW RESERACH). Considering that the U.S. Government estimates 20.2 million students to be enrolled in college in the Fall of 2015, it stands that almost 1 in 5 students on a college campus fall into the LGBT spectrum.

However, we can't simply boil the LGBT population down to numbers, nor can we estimate the number of people whom support these LGBT students. Simply put, these are the students who are discriminated against - facing verbal insults, physical violence, and rape - and whom long for peace and equality. Some are very lucky, finding themselves on campuses which have LGBT support groups, equity centers, and a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Others, however, due to chance, financial obligations, or numerous other factors in the college decision process, are placed on campuses where they have to fear the prospects of …show more content…
They reason that, since the Constitution guarantees "all [people] are created equal" and freedom of expression is guaranteed, that they deserve the same respect and equality afforded to other Americans who express their religious and political opinions. Further, the community points to scientific evidence that supports that it's impossible to choose sexual orientation, and continue to point out the failure, and dangers, of conversion therapy in "converting" people to a heterosexual