<p>I attend a Jesuit university in Chicago, and I'm happy to report that I've encountered very few cases of homophobia on campus. There's only one homophobic person on my floor (of ~36 guys), and we don't even see each other, so I'm not bothered at all. And when we do, we just don't say anything. Simple as that. How do I know he's homophobic? by the comments he blurts out during floor meetings, the stories he tells, etc. Oh god, he's annoying. As for the other guys on my floor, they might throw occasional jokes but in good spirit. They developed this habit though that I find somewhat annoying. Whenever I bring a guy to my room, they say "oOoOoO" as though we're going to have sex or something (my room faces the common area). It started out as a joke the first time, but it has grabbed on.</p>
<p>The majority of the other students aren't homophobic, or at least they won't show it to you (hopefully, they're the same behind your back). In fact, from my experience, homophobia is more prevalent in the general public. Once, I was browsing the gay magazine section at a bookstore and this man called me a [name] from the other side of the shelf ). At first, I thought he was just thinking out loud about the magazine he was reading, but all of a sudden, I heard "What's wrong with you, [offensive name]" I was so appalled that he went out of his way to say those things in public (he picked the wrong person to pick a fight with, I tell you) that I almost blurted out this entire spiel and caused a scene. But, I decided that the best and quickest way to make him feel stupid (while also allowing me to conserve the small amount of energy left in me that night) was to ignore him, so I pretended that I was so into the magazine I was reading that I didn't even hear his comment. Basically, I treated him like one of those people who talks to himself. I also went back to the gay magazine section and started browsing again. He left soon afterwards. I triumphed at making him feel unimportant.</p>
<p>I would say that there are a lot of gay guys at this school. Maybe part of the reason they flock here is because of the 66/34 female/male ratio (greater possibility for female friendships?). I would also say that half of them, if not the majority, are closeted, so no, most of the gay people here don't stick together. I see way too many guys hanging around a group of girls (I admit, I do this too...). It's kinda funny how very few gay guys hang out together, well... except when watching America's Next Top Model. Lol, I was invited to an ANTM party and couldn't decide whether to go to it or to the Halo tournament on my floor. My friend and I decided to go to a cafe instead to study. I would've liked to attend either one, but I had a lot work to do and didn't want to fall behind. Besides, I don't think my friend would've liked the ANTM party (nor the Halo tournament for that matter). It's really funny that the guy who organized the ANTM party doesn't seem at all like the kind of person who'd be interested in such a show. He seems like a demure Catholic schoolboy.</p>
<p>My "friends" right now (in quotes, because only time can tell if our friendship of 5 weeks will become long-term) consist of 3 girls and two guys. The person I hang out with most is a guy from my floor (the openly gay guy is in a different dorm, so I see him less often). We have similar priorities and goals, part of which is our desire to transfer out: he to UChicago and I to Northwestern. Not that we don't like the school we attend now... we're simply looking for a richer experience. He could be gay, but I'm reluctant to ask. On his Facebook profile, nothing is indicated (this is a strong indication of yes, right? otherwise, he would've put "women"). Anyway, this information is not crucial for me to know at this point. He looks like one of those great Russian authors with messy hair; in other words, he reminds me of a UChicago student. He says I look like a hybrid of a UChicago and Northwestern student-- I don't really have an image of what one looks like. As for my other friends, I like the fact that the openly gay guy is very subtle about his sexual orientation (as am I, though I don't have a problem with flamboyant gay guys.. they're amusing). Yes, we talk about gay-related stuff (esp. when we first met) and we're close simply because of our shared experiences, but gay topics don't dominate our conversations. In fact, I'm more interested about his farmlife and he about my insight on different topics. The only difference in my relationship between the two guys is that I can talk about guys with the latter, though not very often even. I do that with my girl-friends. One of them has a tendency to fall for gay guys to the point where she no longer finds the situation funny. In the streets, we pretend to be bf/gf, while I give her advice on who's gay or straight (I have an excellent gaydar). We often get caught giggling when looking at some guy she's interested in... the guy often gets puzzled (I laugh because she's very blatant in asking me whom I find attractive). It's so funny. I love when we do this. In return, the girls give me fashion advice. I admit... I was a little hurt when they said that for a gay guy, I had bad fashion sense (comparing me to their gay friends in HS who had "flawless" taste in clothing). They thought that as a gay guy, <em>I</em> should be the one giving them fashion advice. *sigh. I secretly thought that my fashion taste was exquisite, but apparently, I dress like a middle-aged guy. So, they take me shopping, which is fun when I have the money to spend. They think that I should emphasize the "gay nerd" vibe that I supposedly give, but I think I prefer the hippie look: dark pants, t-shirt, maybe even a 5 o'clock shadow (though it takes me weeks to grow just a few short strands)-- since I'm an activist, you know.</p>
<p>The administration is very receptive. My university was recently selected to host the Jesuit LGBT Conference this summer. Our funding request is likely to be approved, according to the leaders. The administration also approved a proposal to have a "safe space" and a peer counseling group for LGBT students. My anthro professor also addressed the gay "nature vs. nurture" debate on the first or second day of class. He claimed that biology is a major factor, together with the environment, in shaping one's sexual orientation (this is what the majority of evidence suggests). This girl in my class raised her hand disagreeing with the professor, so of course, my hand shot up in the air along with several others' (this was a class of 200-- only a few others raised theirs). Hmm, we quickly settled that one, but the girl still refuses to engage in a private one-to-one debate with me. </p>
<p>As for awkward stories, I definitely have one. During orientation, I played ping pong with this one guy, we talked in the context of a group, and then separated ourselves from the group to go some place on campus he'd never seen before. Fast forward to today, we're no longer on speaking terms. It's quite funny actually... Whenever we see each other, we go in different directions pretending that we never did. I think I misread him BIG time, though I refuse to take all the blame. I interpreted our closeness (when walking) and our glances as a sign that he was interested in me. We stared at each other for about 20 seconds (which is a long time, if you think about it), but apparently, I'm just a little brother to him. Sigh* I feel stupid.</p>