You should take a look at Tufts - it could be a good fit for you.
It is one of the top LGBT friendly schools:
http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/back-school-which-ones-are-lgbtq-friendly-n413181
It is located in an urban/residential environment (Somerville) with a very high density of young people and artists, two miles from Harvard (Cambridge), which is across the river from Boston. It may or may not be the “Brooklyn of Massachusetts” depending on who you ask 
Based on its Carnegie Classification, among selective research universities that are “Arts and Science Focused” for undergraduate education it has one of the larger engineering schools - including a full complement of engineering majors (Vanderbilt has the largest - Harvard is really small and UChicago is virtually non-existent).
Tufts engineers do well in mid-career salary rankings with exposure to the “liberal arts environment” assisting in crossing into the ranks of management.
http://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report/best-schools-by-majors/engineering
Its most popular majors are International Relations and Computer Science (which spans both Liberal Arts and Engineering schools with two different degree programs). There is no NETS-like program, but the CS department is very applied/interdisciplinary in its research. Last winter Tufts hosted their first social-themed hackathon along with MIT and Harvard.
http://www.cs.tufts.edu/About-CS/cool-facts-about-cs-at-tufts.html
http://www.tufts-ten.com/events/2016/1/14/the-international-development-hackathon-2016
Selectivity was about 14% for Liberal Arts and about 11% for Engineering last year, so it is a reach school, but not as crazy as some of the schools on your list. Tufts probably doesn’t get as many applications out of Mississippi as some of the other schools on your list, so that would also work to your advantage. Community service weighs heavily in the admissions process, so depending on what you do during your gap year, that could also be an advantage.
Tufts meets full need for financial aid, but there are no merit scholarships.