<p>what's the LGBT life like at MIT? like is it a very conservative place? do you (a current student) see same sex couples sometimes? is it hard to find a date if you're lgbt?</p>
<p>I'm not a current student, but here's a start for you: <a href="http://web.mit.edu/lbgt/%5B/url%5D">http://web.mit.edu/lbgt/</a></p>
<p>MIT's definitely not a conservative place, and I knew several same-sex couples (and singles! :)). People with any kind of sexual identity are treated very normally -- MIT students, on the whole, are pretty tolerent of just about any difference from the norm that you can imagine.</p>
<p>MIT is, in general, not a conservative place. Actual attitudes toward LBGT students vary quite widely by living group. There was a survey done a few years ago about the attitudes in different living groups, which is at <a href="http://web.mit.edu/gamit/www/living-pink/%5B/url%5D">http://web.mit.edu/gamit/www/living-pink/</a></p>
<p>According to the survey, across all types of living groups (dorms, fraternities, sororities, ILGs), some subset of each type was notable for being particularly LBGT-friendly. I lived in one of the dorms that got that rating, and while not LBGT myself, I never heard any complaints from my LBGT friends (who between them covered all four letters - L, B, G, and T) there. Most of them saw it as a nice bubble away from the attitudes of mainstream society.</p>
<p>When I was the Undergraduate Association Vice-President, my ticketmate (as in, the president of the student body) was an openly gay fraternity brother. Having experienced the relevant election campaign pretty intimately, I can tell you that his sexual orientation never came up as an issue to my knowledge. His status as a fraternity brother was a bigger issue by far. :)</p>
<p>A lot of MIT students (including me) went to the Massachusetts ConCon rallies to show their support for gay marriage, and Senior House hung rainbow flags from its windows in support. After the last ConCon rally, when the vote came out in our favor, it was a straight MIT fraternity brother wearing a rainbow flag cape who grabbed the mic and gave an impromptu speech (which got some news coverage, since his charisma turned a lot of cameras his way) about how it was a victory for all people (an anecdote which I relate to give you an idea of how strong the support of allies, including allies in groups where allies don't stereotypically come from, is at MIT). </p>
<p>There are certain living groups that you would want to avoid, but my experience of MIT (as a straight ally) was as an extraordinarily LBGT-friendly place.</p>
<p>I heard that a lot of the guys here are gay. I'd like to know to what extent that is true? I'm just curious. Also, are many kids (compared to other schools) in relationships? is it hard to start a LGBT relationship?</p>
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I heard that a lot of the guys here are gay.
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<p>This would be news to the various gay men I know at MIT whom I have heard whining about the lack of fellow gay men. :) There are certainly decent numbers of gay/bi men, complaints of the lonely singles notwithstanding, but I haven't noticed anything disproportionate. It's possible that the gay/bi men at MIT are more likely to be out, so it's more noticeable. I've known a lot more lesbian/bi women than gay/bi men.</p>
<p>Not that I want to pigeonhole people, but the fraternity Tau Epsilon Phi (tEp) is known to have many openly gay/bi men and to be very supportive of their gay/bi brothers - it is a point of pride for them. Gay and bi men who are interested in a community that has a lot of other gay/bi men may want to check them out.</p>
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Also, are many kids (compared to other schools) in relationships?
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<p>I've heard both yes and no on this. I have nothing to compare it to.</p>
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is it hard to start a LGBT relationship?
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<p>As far as I can tell, other than the usual "LGTs have a smaller pool of people to choose from" (I don't think this really applies to bi folks, do you? ;)), it didn't seem to be any harder for the LBGT folks than it is for straight people. Again, if you happen to be in a living group that is less accepting, it might be harder. I have no personal experience with those living groups.</p>
<p>tEp does indeed have a few gay/bi in house brothers, but most of them are getting on in years (read: 5th year+s). I don't know if its just because the people interested in tep haven't happened to be gay the past few years or if this is representative of a decline in MIT's gay population since then. We don't have as many gay brothers as we did back in the day, but we're definitely still just as accepting.</p>
<p>Regarding LGBT relationships, starting one is, well, as hard as starting any other relationship. I've never started relationships with people at MIT (I'm against same-campus dating), so I wouldn't really know. But I just asked two gay friends and one said the gay dating scene sucked and the other described it as "fagtastic," so go figure. As soon as one of my L/B friends logs on I'll see if I can get that perspective as well.</p>
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I don't know if its just because the people interested in tep haven't happened to be gay the past few years or if this is representative of a decline in MIT's gay population since then.
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<p>Pure speculation, but this could potentially be a good thing...a sign that gay/bi men feel accepted in a wider variety of living groups now than in the past, and thus have spread out more.</p>
<p>There is a definate LGBT community here. A friend of mine complains constantly about a lack of good gay men, but has extremely high standards, and never seems to have trouble finding a date come the weekend. In terms of campus attitude, there are obvious specific personal exceptions, but the community doesn't really care about anyone's sexual orientation one way or the other.</p>
<p>I think the question has been answered pretty well, but I'll answer as well. </p>
<p>The environment is definitely friendly. On campus, I have never heard derogatory remarks (and <em>very</em> rarely, things like "that's so gay"). I think it's a virtue of how smart and mature people are here. Most of the queer organizations contain only a subset of the gay people at MIT, since there really isn't a whole lot left for us to fight for. Personally, I feel comfortable holding hands with my boyfriend on campus.</p>
<p>That said, if you are asking, "are there lots of hot gay boys/girls"... I'll admit (with apologies to my ex), it's kinda slim pickings, at least on the male side. However, I've heard that Boston University, right across the river, is a gay mecca. Also, you're two miles away from Harvard, which seems to have a bit more of a gay scene.</p>
<p>If you're coming to CPW, I highly suggest coming to the Rainbow Lounge to get a better idea of the LBGT life at MIT.</p>
<p>Yeah, the dating scene at MIT may not be zomg amazing, but the dating scene in BOSTON is the best anywhere in the world.</p>
<p>Well, for people into girls, at least.
<a href="http://www.joeydevilla.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/singles-map-preview.jpg%5B/url%5D">http://www.joeydevilla.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/singles-map-preview.jpg</a></p>
<p>Also if you want gay mecca spend ten minutes at Berklee.</p>