How LGBT friendly is Ole Miss?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Mississippi
1

<p>Hi, guys!! So, I'm a gay male. My dream school is Ole Miss. I'm not out yet. I really want to come out in college, but to do that I would like to go to a school where I would not become a pariah. I would guess I'm feminine because I get asked almost weekly if I'm gay. I'm also a devout christian (Catholic). So my questions are-
1. How gay friendly is the school (the faculty, the students, the administration, etc.) ?
2. What is the dating scene like for gay males?
3. How accepting is the christian portion of the student body (clubs, church orgs, christians in general)?
4. How gay friendly are the frats?
5. Are gay students happy at Ole Miss?</p>

<p>Thanks so much in advance :) !!</p>

2

<p>LOL.</p>

<p>This is Mississippi we’re talking about, bro. As I said on another thread, progressiveness isn’t a priority.</p>

<p>Personally, if I were gay, I wouldn’t dare to come out in Mississippi, especially north MS. Not if I valued my life.</p>

<p>Ole Miss is EXTREMELY conservative, so don’t expect to find “gay friendly” people. There are people who are pretty open minded, but they’re a minority. Again, this is Mississippi.</p>

<p>My sister is at Ole Miss, so I’ve got a pretty good idea of what it’s like there and whatnot.</p>

3

<p>In the nicest way possible don’t even think about coming to Ole Miss if gay friendly is what you’re looking for. Pretty much everyone is greek and not a single frat is “gay friendly”, nor is anyone else in this town. Save yourself from being miserable, hated and isolated your entire college career and look elsewhere. LSU?</p>

4

<p>On behalf of Ole Miss faculty, staff and administrators, I apologize for the comments of the two individuals above who clearly are not tapped into the entire student body here at Ole Miss. Our Associated Student Body developed a PRIDE week this past year that had many students and administrators involved. The PRIDE network is an active organization that supports LGBTQ students. Many faculty and staff are trained ALLIES as well. Please do not let these misguided individuals turn you away from considering the University of Mississippi.</p>

<p>Will coming out in college be easy? Probably not, but that would be the case no matter where you went. There are fraternities that would be more accepting of you than others. I am an administrator at Ole Miss, and the students that I have encountered who are gay seem to be just fine. They experience the same issues as students who are not gay. </p>

<p>Please come and visit the university and talk with current students personally. Again, I apologize for the ludicrous responses above.</p>

5

<p>I would like to preface this post with the disclaimer that I am not an Ole Miss student, nor have I ever visited the area. Thus, nothing of what I say should be taken as indicative of the environment of the university.</p>

<p>@collegeguider, I have a couple issues with your post. In this thread, a couple individuals at least tangentially exposed to the university’s atmosphere have expressed concerns about its acceptance of LGBT students. I have no insight as to the veracity of their claims, and it would not surprise me at all if I discovered that the vast majority of Ole Miss’s students are perfectly welcoming toward gender and sexual minorities. But by simply dismissing these accounts as ludicrous, unrepresentative of the university, and not worth considering, I believe you are doing a disservice to current and prospective LGBT students. If the claims of a generally unwelcoming environment have some truth value, then presenting the university as perfectly inclusive and belittling all dissenters is deceitful, and possibly contributes to an unhealthy culture at the university. I believe that as an administrator, it would be prudent to investigate the validity of these assertions before passing judgement.</p>

<p>Respectfully,
RyanMK</p>

6

<p>I don’t believe that college guider was trying to convey that Ole Miss was welcoming without any problems. Nor did he belittle or pass judgment on the two people who posted before him. He was trying to tell the inquiring poster to come see the campus and speak with current students versus relying on a message board for advice.</p>

7

<p>My apologies, but when an individual calls others’ experiences ludicrous and misguided, I do consider that a form of belittlement. At the very least, it was somewhat condescending. Secondly, when one dismisses the experiences of individuals with poor experiences a priori, it can be taken that the individual is attempting to convey a “perfectly” accepting atmosphere. Even if these were not the intentions, I wished to note that it could reasonably be taken so.</p>

<p>Respectfully,
RyanMK</p>

8

<p>Like RyanMK, I am not a student at Ole Miss. I am actually a parent of a student that just graduated from another university-- Washington U in St. Louis, a totally different shool. However, I am very familiar with Ole Miss. and lived in Jackson for two years. I believe there is ample evidence that Ole Miss. is very conservative and still dealing with racial and LGBT issues. There are so many colleges that are more open and also academically strong. If you were my son, I would urge you to reconsider and think about the environment you’d like to live in for four years. Collegeguider seems to be dismissive of real problems at this university. I would describe my son as politically progressive but more socially conservative. His exposure to a diverse group of student in all respects have shaped him into a much more thoughtful and accepting person.</p>

9

<p>My response to the posts were based on my personal and professional knowledge of the university. I have attended the university and am still involved with the university on a larger level so I have seen years and years of students come through Ole Miss. </p>

<p>The messages from the other individuals posting were not accurate and did not show both sides. As pointed out by another poster, I encouraged the student to make those decisions based on seeing the campus and having a personal interaction with the university. Ole Miss isn’t perfect, but no institution is. You will absolutely find people who are prejudiced against gays at ANY university you attend. That was my ultimate point. Thanks for those who read my comments and responded!</p>

10

<p>[Mississippi</a> Rebels football players disrupt campus play with ‘hate speech’ - ESPN](<a href=“http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/9764914/mississippi-rebels-football-players-disrupt-campus-play-hate-speech]Mississippi”>Mississippi Rebels football players disrupt campus play with 'hate speech' - ESPN)</p>

<p>There we go.</p>

11

<p>Even with that, it still doesn’t represent the entire university campus. A small group of individuals in no way represents a campus that has nearly 20,000 students. Thank you for reposting a story that ultimately strengthened the dialogue of LGTBQ issues on our campus! Hotty Toddy!</p>

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<p>Of course it doesn’t, but it’s a rather good look, isn’t it? Seeing as how you’re an Ole Miss faculty member (you’re an adcom, are you not?), your opinion should not be weighed heavily. It is clear that you’re biased. You’re downplaying the problems that are rampant in Ole Miss and, in essence, you are attempting to “sell” your school, much like a store owner attempts to sell inferior quality merchandise to unaware shoppers. Say this man did heed your advice and ended up coming to Ole Miss. Would that be the best thing for him? Most definitely not. He would be putting himself in considerably more danger than if he attended a university that was liberal. It is undoubtedly true that all universities will have some level of prejudice, but Ole Miss has more than just some. ([Marco</a> McMillian’s Death Highlights Mississippi’s Slow And Inconsistent Evolution](<a href=“HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News | HuffPost”>Marco McMillian's Death Highlights Mississippi's Slow And Inconsistent Evolution | HuffPost Voices))</p>

<p>The bottom line is: Ole Miss is conservative, and conservative ideals and homosexuality/progressiveness do NOT mix. OP would be much better off going to a more liberal college.</p>

13

<p>OP, it sounds like you don’t want to hide your sexual orientation or be ‘quiet’ about it. I’d recommend finding a college that’s more socially liberal. At its best, Ole Miss is still a fairly conservative place. Sure, you’d probably be able to find some friends there who accept you, but that’s not the same as feeling really welcomed and supported by the school as a whole.</p>

14

<p>It is frustrating on CC to have college administrators come out and cheer on the “party line” for a college when someone posts a legitimate concern about something like LGBT issues on campus. It is like posting a positive review for your own business, and cannot be taken seriously.</p>

15

<p>OP, if you’re still reading this, I suggest you contact the president of the [University</a> of Mississippi Gay-Straight Alliance](<a href=“http://www.olemiss.edu/orgs/gsa/]University”>http://www.olemiss.edu/orgs/gsa/) with your specific concerns. </p>

<p>I suspect Ole Miss, despite what the faculty member says, may not be the best place for a gay student. I’ve been to a school which prides itself on its tolerance for all sexual orientations and a flagship in a state which is socially and politically similar to Mississippi. Frankly, there’s no comparison in how accepting the student bodies are. Whereas at my old institution, students would get angry if someone used gay in an insulting manner, it’s somewhat acceptable here (although this tends to vary by department). If it’s possible, I suggest you look at flagships which aren’t located in states as notoriously homophobic as Mississippi. Not only will your dating life be much better, but you’ll be able to walk down the street holding hands with your partner without hearing slurs or worrying about all the things you listed in your first post.</p>

16

<p>

I’ve been trained as an Ally at my school as well partially to ensure that my sorority makes the list of LGBT friendly greek organizations. Depending on how the Ally networked is organized it could indicate more negatives than positives about the general student body’s acceptance. Also, just because an ASB supports a pride week and some students and faculty (btw, faculty are by and large liberal regardless of the school) participate doesn’t mean much to me other than some students support the cause. </p>

<p>

OH PLEASE. There is a huge difference between coming out at a school like the University of Oklahoma and Emory. I have a friend who came out at OU and many students were not supportive. I know plenty of people that came out at Emory and their experiences were uniformly more positive. </p>

<p>

Agreed but the proportion of students matters. At my prior institution homophobes were essentially forced “into the closet” because people would begin ranting about how horrible their attitudes towards LGB peers were. That’s not the case at OU and almost certainly not the case at a university as socially conservative as Ole Miss.</p>

17

<p>I’m an undergraduate at U of M right now, and I’m involved with the campus LGBT group (now called Pride Network). First off, I’m actually disgusted at the faculty member trying to pretend like the campus has no tolerance issues. YOU are the problem, perhaps even more so than the homophobes. Get your head out of the sand and be an actual ally, instead of putting the University’s PR and your own skin ahead of the well being of your students.</p>

<p>That said, I do not think U of M is quite as bad as its reputation says. It is for sure a very intolerant place. Homosexuality is not considered normal or acceptable in the culture here. You will get harassed by frat bros, and you absolutely will feel socially isolated. Most classes operate from a very heteronormative point of view.</p>

<p>However, as I have, it is very likely that you’ll be able to tap into the progressive undercurrent of queer students on campus. Get involved in student advocacy, and take advantage of the Ally professors, and you’ll be okay. So, if you’re a more “alternative” student that can be okay with not being a part of the mainstream culture of the school, you’ll be okay. But if you expect to rush and participate in mainstream social events on campus, I’d say go somewhere else. You won’t be accepted in that sense, and there are tons of homophobic students whom you’ll have to avoid. I’d also avoid living in the “normal” dorms (Kincannon, Martin). You’ll have a much more tolerant experience in the Ridges or the Residential Colleges, even though they’re more expensive</p>

<p>There are a lot of good ally professors, including in the Biology, Gender Studies, Sociology-Anthropology, International Studies, and History departments. You will definitely experience some homophobia in classes though, and around campus.</p>

<p>Ultimately, it’s up to you! There are other gay students on campus, like myself, and you will definitely find some progressive friends who will accept you and not treat you differently. But you will also definitely feel a lot of social isolation from the campus culture, and you will face with a lot of traditionalists and conservatives who hate you and who you are.</p>

<p>EDIT:
Forgot to mention, the Pride Week is a joke. The Pride Network tries its best, but a vast majority of students don’t even know it exists and if they do they laugh at it. University PR just uses it as something to “prove” that there’s no institutionalized homophobia on campus.</p>

18

<p>The students at Ole Miss are, on the whole, very socially conservative. There are many students who are open minded and are completely comfortable with their LGBT friends, but the Ole Miss “atmosphere” on the whole? LGBT friendly? I would say no.</p>

<p>I am glad to hear that there are “good ally professors, including in the Biology, Gender Studies, Sociology-Anthropology, International Studies, and History departments.” The professors at Ole Miss come from across the U.S. The professors are not, on the whole, socially conservative. Just the students - especially freshmen who come to Ole Miss directly from socially conservative high schools.</p>

19

<p>After some time to read the posts made about my responses, I have decided to respond. First, I never attempted to gloss over, downplay or deceive this student. I simply wanted both sides to be expressed and to allow the student to make their own decision. I also never claimed to be a faculty member. Am I a graduate of Ole Miss? Yes. Am I still a part of the university community? Yes. That puts me in a situation of being much more informed about what’s happening here day to day. I see nothing wrong with someone who has direct knowledge of events happening on campus giving another perspective. This is a public, open forum that I have the right to post in just like all of you. For instance, someone posted on another thread that Ole Miss is 81% greek. That is not true and a misrepresentation of our campus population. Because I have direct knowledge, I was able to write back and explain that only 35% of our population is Greek.</p>

<p>I will reiterate this one more time to make sure that you all are clear. I never said that this student would have the perfect experience here. I meet and personally know students who are out and proud here who have had wonderful experiences personally and socially. I also know students who have struggled. It’s both sides of the story that make it whole, not just one perspective. Wouldn’t you want both sides if you were trying to make this type of decision?</p>

<p>Some of you posting likely did not attend Ole Miss so you are likely speaking from your perceptions rather than direct knowledge. I wouldn’t post something about a school that I did not attend as if it were fact. As I mentioned before, the student should either visit campus and meet students here who identify as LGBT or communicate with them via email or some other means. How do you know that I am not an LGBT individual?</p>

<p>Thanks for the robust conversation! Best of luck to the student in their decision process. I hope that you’ll give Ole Miss fair consideration. If you don’t find it to be the best environment, I wish you the best of luck with wherever you choose to enroll!</p>

20

<p>Just because this happened at an institution in Baltimore, Maryland doesn’t mean that a student should not go there. Should they consider it in their decision, sure, but I’m sure that their entire student body doesn’t feel this way. If you find an institution where some sort of issue regarding discrimination has not happened, please let me know.</p>

<p>[Brian</a> Stewart, Morgan State University Student, Allegedly Rejected From Fraternity Because He’s Gay](<a href=“Brian Stewart, Morgan State University Student, Allegedly Rejected From Fraternity Because He's Gay | HuffPost Voices”>Brian Stewart, Morgan State University Student, Allegedly Rejected From Fraternity Because He's Gay | HuffPost Voices)</p>