Minority Azerbaijan launches a survey among university students

Do LGBTQI+ students face discrimination and harassment?

In our article "Is There Room for LGBTQI+ Students in Azerbaijani Universities?", we compared the official anti-discrimination and inclusivity policies of four Azerbaijani universities. The article attracted significant attention. While some universities explicitly mentioned "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" in their documents, others omitted these terms entirely. However, a document on paper proves nothing on its own. The question remained: how do these policies translate into the reality of student life?

To answer this question, Minority Azerbaijan is launching an anonymous survey starting today, targeting LGBTQI+ students who have studied or are currently studyingat the four universities mentioned over the past few years.

The survey examines the experiences of students at the university regarding their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or sex characteristics. We aim to document various incidents, ranging from verbal abuse and academic unfairness to "outing" and cyberbullying, as well as whether these incidents were reported (and the reasons if they were not) and what students expect from their universities.

Participation in the survey is entirely anonymous and voluntary. No names, email addresses, student IDs, or other personal identification details are collected. You may leave any question blank or exit the survey at any time. Responses will be analyzed only in an aggregated format.

Participation is open to anyone currently studying, or who has studied within the last two years (2023–2026) at UNEC, Baku State University, ASOIU, or Azerbaijan Medical University (or other higher education institutions) and identifies as part of the LGBTQI+ community.

We will prepare a report based on the collected data and publish it as a continuation of our research into attitudes toward LGBTQI+ individuals at universities. The goal is not merely to document the issue, but also to highlight real gaps, instances where existing university policies remain only on paper and to establish a concrete basis for change.

You can participate in the survey here.

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