Does anyone know how LGBTQIA accepting Earlham, Agnes Scott, or Centre College are? The Lewis & Clark LGBT community seems amazing for “non-standard” sexual identities by the way.
Earlham is a college with quaker roots very open to LGBTQIA.
Earlham, Bryn Mawr, Haverford, Swarthmore - all Quaker established schools which embrace their Quaker roots and values such as community, equality, acceptance.
Human beings are curious.
Regardless of how we identify, typically in social situations we field questions about relationship status. If someone has chosen not to state their sexual preferences (or non-preference), it might make them very uncomfortable to keep confronting those questions in social situations. Some people lie to cover.
Regardless of their reasons - some of them very valid - many LGBT people prefer not to, or cannot come out.
Consider asexuality within that same spectrum. They may be uncomfortable with the pressures to share, particularly if they are ‘non-conforming’. In our over sexualized society, there’s a lot of pressure to share about boyfriends, girlfriends, hook-ups, crushes. What if you don’t have those feelings at all? Who can you feel safe sharing that information with? Can you be yourself and still feel normal? Probably, but it’s scary.
It’s extra scary when you’re only 18 or so, and still determining who you are. Support can only be good as you are finding your footing on your way to being a fully functioning adult. However you define it.
Many college freshman may not be aware of, or may not have come to terms with facets of their own sexuality.
Most college freshman will arrive on campus and not know anyone.
It can be a real risk to share being anyplace on the spectrum of LGBT, with people who are relative strangers.
Creating a solid support system is wise to for ANY new freshman, regardless of who they are, or how they identify.
If there are clubs for World or Warcraft and Quidditch, why not for asexuality?
To the OP, I do hope that you’ll be considering Wesleyan, Oberlin, Macalester, & Bryn Mawr.
@hop Your message just made my day. That’s exactly what I’m looking for: A school where I know I’ll have a support system in place. It’s scary sharing your true identity with the world, especially if it’s not always well accepted. I just want to be myself!
People keep mentioning Wesleyan, which is the alma mater of the “founder” of the ace movement: David Jay. From what I’ve read it seems like one of the most amazing schools for any intellectual and/or queer person. Thanks for mentioning it!
@hop I agree with nearly everything you said except for one important thing. I am agree that clubs for asexuality make perfect sense but I take high offense that you appear to be putting down quidditch in the process. It is a highly competive and entertaining sport that should have a place one all college campuses. Anyway I think asexuality isn’t that strange of a complex and I totally understand why the OP would consider an asexual friendly environment important.
Yikes!
No aspersions on quidditch, only that it’s not a well-known phenomenon…yet.
Yes, it’s a highly entertaining sport and there should be many more active clubs.
=D>
Has anyone else noticed that the token “We’re quirky and different!” club at every college is a quidditch club? I’ve been on more than a dozen college tours and every single tour guide mentions how quidditch makes their college “individual” and “is something fun that sets them apart”.
I totally respect the sport of course. It takes some serious skill.
@OP, you’re not helping the your asexuality identity get credibility when you’re claiming you totally respect quidditch for being a real sport.
^ I hope that was a joke.
Have you ever played quidditch @GMTplus7 ? I have. I was serious about it taking skill. I fell off my broom so many times…
Anyway, I don’t want to get into a huge, vindictive fight with you about how irrational your comment is (Were you serious? For the sake of common sense, I hope not). Please don’t attack me or this thread. I meant for it to be a safe place where myself and other aces could look for ideas about where we will be welcome in college. Also please remember that it is a teenage girl you’re trying to hurt with your comments.
I feel as though we’ve strayed off the point: I’m looking for asexual friendly colleges. Some of you have been so supportive in giving me ideas of ace friendly or most likely ace friendly environments. What about more safety level schools?
Safety schools would include Goucher, Lewis and Clark, Willamette, Hampshire, U Puget Sound, Lawrence, Beloit, and several other of the College That Change Lives schools.
You might also want to check out the Campus Pride organization, who have done a yeoman’s job organizing for LGBT support on college campuses, and have created a ‘campus climate index’ that may be of interest to you.
http://www.campusprideindex.org/default.aspx
Thanks I’ll look into those. I’ve just been invited to apply to the Windows on Williams fly-in program. A good sign?
I haven’t read the entire thread, OP, but from what I have read I do think that Mount Holyoke should be on your list. It is incredibly supportive and accepting and conversant to all orientations. I think you would feel very comfortable there.
Feel free to PM me if you want more info or would like to talk to my D, who is a student there.
I’m honestly surprised at all the adults on this thread being incredibly disrespectful to an OP who has been nothing but kind. If you don’t have any suggestions, you should leave the thread. Your words have an impact beyond what you could fathom. Grow up.
MoHo or any of the Seven Sisters colleges have very strong support systems for people with alternative identities.
http://samshair.co.vu/post/90573410282/asexual-friendly-colleges
Here’s a list of colleges that specifically mention ace people as welcome in their LGBTQIA groups, etc.