Hi! In May of 2015, I graduated High School from a small private institution. Originally I was planning to go to Cosmetology school however I realized that it would be smarter to attend university first. So I have decided to start school in the spring of 2016. I am very excited and I plan to be starting soon! However I am a bit nervous. I happen to be gay and finding a school has been a bit daunting. It’s not that I am demanding a school that is “the best” for LGBT students- however I want to be comfortable at the school I am attending. I would really love to go out of state, however the cost may be a bit offputting. I live in Louisiana. Does anyone know of any LBGT friendly schools in Louisiana? I’ve used plenty of search engines including college search sites to find schools, but I’m still at a loss. Please help and thankyou!
You could join a LBGT club. every college has one
https://colleges.niche.com/rankings/most-liberal-colleges/s/louisiana/
This may be helpful. It’s a list of the most liberal schools in Louisiana based on student reviews and rankings. You can also look at the the profiles of individual schools. Under the “Diversity” section, they have questions on a number of different subjects (including LGBT acceptance) and the percentages of students who chose each possible answer. Based on this, it looks like University of Louisiana - Lafayette is your best bet, but you might want to check it out for yourself.
This may ir may not help, but most universities seem to be LGBT friendly these days. It’s probably harder to find an LGBT hostile university. Even universities with religious backgrounds are pretty friendly to all people (with some notable exceptions). You may not find universities with LGBT rallies every weekend, but that doesn’t mean they’re not accepting communities.
@gdlt234 I don’t think that’s necessarily true. There probably aren’t many universities whose administrations are openly hostile toward LGBTQ students, but the fact of the matter is some schools’ student bodies are more accepting than others. It takes more than not having any instances of open hostility for a school to really be considered an accepting community. I think OP has reason to be wary.
@lalalemma Of course, but what I was trying to say was that in general people are much more accepting. True not having instances of hostility doesn’t necessarily make a university accepting, but not having instances of tolerance doesn’t make them hostile either. While the OP can certainly be wary, I think he shouldn’t be super concerned about what school he goes to just because he’s gay. Unless you attend Liberty University or somewhere similar, most of the time students either won’t care much or you’d be able to find a group of accepting friends.
Fair enough, though I think OP would probably prefer a school where they’re accepted by everyone to a school where they’re accepted by a select group of people, or a school where they’re surrounded by accepting people to a school where they’re surrounded by indifferent people. But ultimately it is up to them.
Something I forgot to add to my earlier comment: under the “Guys and Girls” section on the Niche profile, there is a question about LGBTQ dating and how common/accepted it is.
What usually goes unsaid is that in many cases, people with alternative lifestyles just want equal and fair treatment, not special treatment. So often, going out of your way to be especially accommodating to certain groups is not what they want and comes across as fake and patronizing.
Hey thanks for everyone’s answers so far! The Niche site has been particularly helpful
@BatesParents2019 being gay is not an “alternative lifestyle.” I also think it comes across as a little patronizing to try to speak for the entire LGBTQ community. LGBTQ people aren’t all the same, and they would not all make the same choice when it comes to something like this. But if OP didn’t want to be in an extra-LGBTQ friendly environment, I don’t think they would have made this thread.
Well, Tulane came to mind without even thinking about it.
http://tulane.edu/news/newwave/081514_tulane-among-top-50-lgbt-friendly-colleges.cfm
Google would probably uncover some other choices as well. For instance:
http://www.bestcolleges.com/features/best-colleges-for-lgbt-students/
But really, I’d narrow your college list based upon other parameters, and once you have a reasonable list, research the LGBT-friendliness of the short list.
Unless it’s not schools like Bob Jones University or such, many colleges in US are at least LGBT-not aggressive.
Hey thanks for your help!
I’m happy for the little things in life. Like when str8 parents with str8 kids care enough to provide a thoughtful response to an LGBT teen; I do not expect them to know all the nuances of LGBT life.
We used niche and then did google search variations on “is ___ school LGBT friendly.” On the advice of a friend, we also googled as to the rape statistics (since it happens to all genders and orientations,) if the colleges had been accused/charged with hiding their stats, etc. We asked around at the Unitarian Universalist church/society we attend too. Our son spent 4 months of homophobic hell at a local public school, where he wasn’t even out, and is in therapy for PTSD as a result. So we were very active in helping him to find schools that were LGBT friendly, diverse in their gender, orientation, and racial populations, and in accepting towns. (Our son isn’t going to stick just to campus. He and his future boyfriend will want to go on dates and we worry about them being beaten up just for holding hands in public.) We know that nowhere is 100% safe for anyone, but like you, OP, we wanted a school/schools that were LGBTQ friendly and accepting.
I think people need to remember that, despite the Supreme Court ruling in favor of Marriage Equality, many states do not guarantee full protection to LGBTQ citizens, and discrimination remains legal. Louisiana recognizes anti-LGBTQ hate crimes, but it does not prohibit discrimination in housing or employment. New Orleans is a gay-friendly city, but I can’t speak for the rest of the state.
Another good resource for finding campuses with LGBTQ-friendly populations is Campus Pride:
http://www.campuspride.org/
They are an independent organization that sponsors college fairs for those searching for schools, as well as on-campus activities and groups. Note that they also have an LGBT Scholarship data base on their site.
Princeton Review has a list of the 20 friendliest. Also, and perhaps more importantly, the 20 unfriendliest. In the South, broadly, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, U Tenn, Auburn, Baylor, are listed as most unfriendly. I’m not vouching for their methodology, and your mileage may vary, but I’d at least be extra careful about researching those places before going.
http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2014/08/princeton-review-updates-list-of-20-most-lgbt-friendly-unfriendly-colleges/
@skieurope Um, calling it an ‘alternative lifestyle’, however, promotes heteronormativity and, more importantly, makes it seem as though sexuality is a choice. Hardly a ‘nuance’ – more like the fundamental part of the discussion. During this day and age, calling it an ‘alternative lifestyle’ either suggests a disregard for science that tells us that it isn’t a choice, in order to facilitate conservative thought, or simply a lack of attention to all that has been happening in the US.
@International95 You’re reading way too much into this, IMO. In life, I choose my battles. For me, as a gay man, this is not one of them. YMMV.
Regardless, the phrase does not relate to the OP’s question, so let’s end that part of the discussion.