<p>I was recently taken off the waitlist at Washington University next year, as well as at Reed College. Both academically and socially, I'm leaning towards WashU. But as a gay male, I am concerned by the possibly of homophobia and social isolation. Are students here typically accepting of homosexuality, or is it considered to be taboo?</p>
<p>I understand that WashU may not be perfect; few, if any, places are. But will I be able to maintain friendships with heterosexual guys without it being awkward? Or would it be a better idea to stay closeted until I make some close friends, then work it out from there? </p>
<p>On a slightly different note, how about sports and fraternities? I may be playing Club Tennis wherever I go, or if I am good enough for it at WashU, Varsity. Likewise, I'd definitely consider a frat if they're for me. Any thoughts of encouragement/discouragement? </p>
<p>Thanks for reading, and all comments (save for derogatory ones) are welcome.</p>
<p>One of the first impressions I immediately got during my first week as a WashU student is that my peers, of all grades, were generally accepting and understanding of all groups of people. The campus tends to be quite liberal. There is LGT Awareness events and a student group for that, I think.</p>
<p>Wash U people are very friendly, including the frats. S, who graduated last year, was in a frat which had, at least one gay member--and the context in which he mentioned this to me had nothing to do with the guy being gay--it was just sort of a parenthetical. Apparently no one thought it was any big deal. Go for Wash U--the administration "runs like buttah" and treats students and parents very well!</p>
<p>I'm in a fraternity, and we have two gay brothers out of about 50 or 60 guys. One of them I didn't even know was gay at first, the other is flagrantly gay. Love them both.</p>
<p>My son will be starting at Wash U in the fall. He's not gay, but one of his closest friends from high school is (came out junior year). My son is very accepting of GLBT people and would not want to attend a school where most people did not feel the same way.</p>
<p>I'm posting this story here because it of a relevant topic: Queers</a> United: Ding Dong the Witch is Getting an Honorary Degree?
I certainly don't say that WashU students aren't gay-friendly, but I think it is interesting that the administration would support this woman. What does everyone else think about this subject?</p>
<p>I hope the views of WashU's administration (or those that decided to honor that woman) are not representative of the student body. I am glad people were organizing a protest and hopefully they had a good amount of student participants.</p>
<p>My roommate was actually pretty active in the protest, and I think disgust and disappointment with the administration's choice is a prevalent feeling. However, as the administration replied, the honor is for people that provoke thought or argument, or some crap like that. Still, I don't like the Wash U name being associated with Shlafly.</p>
<p>WU is very gay-friendly. There have a gay prom in the spring, which I've heard is tons of fun. STLouis has a huge "pride fest" parade/festival in the summer in one of the big parks. There are fair amount of gay and gay-friendly bars/clubs/restaurants in the area, too. They have the typical Pride Alliance student group, which puts on many events. During Orientation week for freshman, there is an open-house/information session for gay students and their parents showcasing the resources on campus and giving advice.</p>
<p>The St. Louis area in general is a lot more liberal than the rest of Missouri. It's a shame that the state has a reputation for being so conservative, but that is very skewed by all the rural areas of missoui and kansas city. </p>
<p>WU also hired a full-time staff member, the Coordinator for GLBTQ Programs, just last year, to further increase its commitment to this segment of the population. As said before, even the fraternities and sororites are accepting and have gay members.</p>
<p>Starting next year (or maybe this year, I can't remember), upperclassmen suites can be mixed gener. Each person still gets their own individual room, so you can't like share a double room with someone of the opposite gender. But you can have a 4 person suite with 2 guys and 2 girls, 3 girls and 1 guy, etc.</p>
<p>I don't go to WashU but I live in the St. Louis area.</p>
<p>St. Louisans in general are pretty gay-friendly. Also, the Delmar Loop (or just The Loop), which is right next to WashU, is known for its gay community. </p>