Suicide Prompts Rutgers to Launch Gender Neutral Housing Program
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — Rutgers University will launch a pilot program this fall that will give students the option to live in gender neutral housing. The new program is in response to the bullying and subsequent suicide of Tyler Clementi, a freshman who died in September.
The new housing program will allow students to choose a male or female roommate regardless of their own gender, ABC News reports. Students will not be asked to reveal their sexual orientation; also, parents will not be allowed to veto their child’s choice.
Under the new program, freshmen can request a roommate who is “supportive” of their sexual orientation. Roommates will continue to be chosen through a school-wide lottery system.
Clementi allegedly requested a new roommate after he was filmed during a gay sexual encounter by his male roommate Dharun Ravi and another female student. Ravi expressed aversion to Clementi’s sexual preferences via social networking sites such as Twitter.
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