<p>I'm an incoming Freshman, and only my friends know that I'm gay. I've never been in a relationship with anyone, mainly because I've been "in the closet," but also due to a lack of similarly-oriented peers. I feel like I'm going to socially retarded when dating in college. I'm male btw.
Anyone else?</p>
<p>Lots of people. I come from a red county and, as such, haven’t had a same sex relationship. You’ll probably be fine. People come from all stages in life.</p>
<p>Make friends in college, not dates, during freshman year. 
At least, that’s what I’ve heard.</p>
<p>I felt the same way when I came out. But something you should know about your atypical experience as a gay youth is that it sets you up for an atypical romantic future. A lot of people have had the same experience as you - you shouldn’t view yourself as entering some world where everyone expects you to be experienced at dating. If anybody will understand that it took you a while to begin dating, it’s other gay guys. </p>
<p>Moreover, one of the best things about being gay (at least from what I’ve experienced) is that it’s practically impossible to be “socially ■■■■■■■■” when it comes to dating. Sure, you still have to avoid saying stupid things. But there are not really well-established norms when it comes to dating. Whereas even my most liberal heterosexual friends still seem to follow the “boyfriend-pays-for-the-girlfriend” routine, I’ve been on dates with my boyfriend where I’ve paid, dates where he’s paid, and times where we’ve each paid our own way. I’ve never heard of any silly rules about who’s supposed to initiate what step of the relationship, and certainly never felt bound to any “roles” in my relationships. So don’t worry about your late start - you have very little to catch up on. Be open and honest with the people you like, and things will sort of just happen.</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure a lot of gays don’t come out until college (or even later).</p>
<p>I’m in a similar situation, except my biggest fear is that I won’t find anyone who would want to date me. I know, it sounds kinda stupid, but still - self-confidence issues ftw. =P</p>
<p>I am worried that when I go to college, I might have a crush on a gay guy not knowing he is gay.
I am a girl btw.</p>
<p>Due to my involvement with theater and progressive issues, I have a lot of gay friends, including some who are college students. In most cases, gays don’t have same sex romances until they are in college. In many cases, that doesn’t happen until late in their college careers, after they are comfortable being out. In fact, some of my gay friends didn’t come out until they were seniors. </p>
<p>You’re actually well ahead since many gay people don’t come out until after college. Some don’t even realize they are gay until they are in their thirties.</p>
<p>People are more open in college, so ecept in rare cases I dont think that you will have to worry that there won’t be ANY other non-closeted gay students at your college. </p>
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<p>That’s not a unique problem, and i think that the best advice for this is the same advice that we often give to anyone who is socially anxious about college. try to Join clubs, join sports teams, join civic organizations (maybe some sort of LGBT thing or a liberal group), anything that gets you out of your dorm room on a semi-regular basis but still lives enough time for classwork and things like that</p>
<p>kaekae, </p>
<p>I just finished my freshman year. I came out to my friends right after the first semester ended. I believe the most important thing is to know what you want. I’ve met a lot of guys who tried to date me but actually they just want to get in my pants. There’s nothing wrong with sex, just make sure you’re going for what you want. For what I heard, most people at Rice are very open minded. So I don’t think you need to worry about discrimination issues. I strongly agree with panther124’s suggestion, be open and honest with the people you like, and things will sort of just happen.(I don’t know to do the quote box thingy :P) If you have any other questions, feel free to message me. :)</p>
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<p>Get involved in theater or dance on campus. Get involved backstage or with tech if you don’t want to be on stage as an actor or dancer or you don’t want to take dance classes.</p>
<p>The theater and dance groups have a high proportion of gay students, and the easiest way to meet people for romance is to be involved in something of mutual interest. You get to know the other person in their element and have plenty to talk about, avoiding those awkward getting to know you pauses. You also have a lot of fun and if you progress to sexual intimacy, you’re more likely to be sober enough to use protection so you avoid getting STDs.</p>
<p>Those activities also are a great way to meet supportive straight friends. In the arts, you can be yourself – whoever you are, and you can be welcomed, appreciated and loved for who you are.</p>
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<p>haha embarrassing, but thanks!</p>
<p>Hey there!</p>
<p>I am also a lesbian and I just finished my first semester at a very large (about 30,000 people) university and I found that many people are very accepting of my sexuality. The first person I told was my professor for freshman orientation (she and I are really close so I felt comfortable with her). She told me about my other professor in a different class who is really involved with LGBT events on campus (she is a straight ally BTW). When I went to the second professor about my sexuality, she seemed a bit shocked. However, I don’t think she was shocked that I was gay but that I was asking her for help. She told me about another gay student who is REALLY involved on campus and is the leader for the largest LGBT support group on campus. I talked with him and he invited me to the meetings. I am so glad that I went up to my professor and asked them for help! </p>
<p>If you want to meet other LGBT students, go to the office of student organizations and ask if they have an LGBT student support group. You can also try your counselor’s office and see if they have some sort of support group (many do because LGBT youth are more likely to commit suicide and suffer from depression compared to straight kids).</p>
<p>Most people are okay with the fact that I am a lesbian. Yes, you will hear students make homophobic comments every now and then but for the most part, college is very tolerant of people who are different from them.</p>
<p>Good luck, after being in the closet for 7 years, its so nice to be free to be who I am.</p>
<p>hey kaekae, I’m actually in the same boat as you! I am a gay male and will be attending Rice next year. I’m not really worried about dating (when it happens, it happens lol) but I am little anxious about finding a good set of close friends who are open and supportive. I think that’s key in college.</p>
<p>Make sure to check out whatever LGBTQA student organization is on campus! That was my big thing coming into the university – they had a welcoming event during the first week of school, so I went. Spent that entire semester volunteering with them, and now I work there. It hasn’t landed me a date yet (there are maybe 4 other girls there, and none of them are single), but it’s an easy way to find friends!</p>
<p>At my college, I saw a gay club of guys and lesbians. They were just standing on the lawn and parading themselves on one random day. Your college might have one of those gay clubs. It makes me wonder what they do as a club… HAHAHA probably naughty things.</p>
<p>GSA FTW, kaekae. I’m an ally but I’ve met many great people through the Gay Straight Alliance at my school, and many of the friends I met there met people they either dated or developed close friendships with. And I can’t imagine many schools not having one considering mine is a small Catholic university :]</p>