<p>What is it like to be a GLBT student at Duke? Is the campus largely homophobic or accepting? Also, is there a noticeable GLBT population on campus?</p>
<p>I'm not an LGBT student, but I think Duke is better than many colleges in this respect. The "Gay? Fine by me" t-shirt campaign was started here, if that indicates anything. Duke was ranked in the top 20 for LGBT students by the The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students. It's worth noting that some students complained that Duke didn't deserve this, however, and many have protested things like the rainbow flag in Fuqua. </p>
<p>Basically, most Duke students are pretty accepting of others, although I don't think Duke would be as welcoming as somewhere like NYU or Yale. I don't know how large the population is, but they're fairly active on campus. They host a gay pride parade in the fall and hold events in the LGBT center.</p>
<p>It always makes me wonder though when a school has to create t-shirts like those to advertise that it is gay-friendly. Obviously Duke will be to an extent as it is a top university with students from all over the country of different walks of life, but it is highly doubtful that it is one of the top 20 schools for LGBT students. I can think of a lot of schools that deserve that title instead.</p>
<p>I wouldn't say it's homophobic, but there certainly isn't a large gay community</p>
<p>I think the t-shirts are condescending, but well-intentioned I guess. The shirts were in response to a dubious PR ranking of Duke as a school "where alternative lifestyles are not an alternative" (in 1999, I think). This was a big embarassment to students and the administration and Duke became very proactive in fighting this image. Undergrads led a movement to allow same-sex unions in the Chapel, LGBT Center was moved to a prime West Campus location, the safe zone and t-shirt programs originated at Duke and were copied by schools all over the country...</p>
<p>This was all positive and welcome though popular wisdom is that Duke didn't really deserve the "homophobic" ranking in the first place. At the time of the PR survey, gay issues were already a hot topic at Duke because campus groups were growing and more active and visible so I think students were of the mind that homophobia was an important issue at Duke. In answering the survey, however, this was read as "homophobia is a major problem at Duke". Not the same. </p>
<p>Anyway, in answer to the original questions, I'd say overall Duke is an accepting place, but the GLBT population seems pretty small. One thing, though. Because of close proximity to UNC and NC State, there are a sizable number of GLBT students in the area.</p>
<p>^That attitude represents a lot about Duke. It is ranked lower than Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, so it works hard to raise its academic image. It's doing the same with the race issue and GLBT issue. I like that about Duke--it's progressive and constantly looking to get better. Another example that comes to mind is the survey and study of on-campus race relations, sponsored by the school. Unfortunately the results came out right after the lacrosse scandal...bad timing, but shows that Duke is trying hard to improve. Introspection is a good thing, even if it comes off as corny and plastic...it's a step in the right direction.</p>