<p>My sister goes to Smith and says that most of the people she knows from there are gay. What % of the school is homosexual? I could not find this data anywhere.</p>
<p>11% according to a survey that included more than 50% of the student body two years ago.</p>
<p>This pops up with annoying regularity. Depending on survey, somewhere between 20 and 35 percent are gay or bi. If you are gay, Smith is very supportive and welcoming. If you are straight, Smith is very supportive and welcoming. </p>
<p>What's your particular concern?</p>
<p>20 to 35% is a very big minority.</p>
<p>I would agree with TD. Smith is supportive and welcoming, for straight students and queer students alike. You won't find data on this because it would be a huge invasion of privacy if the college demanded personal information from students just because they are queer. After all, straight students are subjected to constant scrutiny about their sexuality. </p>
<p>Bottom line, if being around gay or bi sexual or queer women makes you uncomfortable, Smith might not be the place for the you. We're certainly by no means all gay, but some Smithies are. And because Smith is a supportive atmosphere most gay Smithies are out and open about their sexuality and their relationships. Just like straight Smithies are out and open about their sexuality and relationships.</p>
<p>"20 to 35% is a very big minority."</p>
<p>And what would be a good or better percentage?</p>
<p>A survey by CDC in the early part of this decade found that 24% of women nationally found themselves sexually attracted to other women (a much smaller subset of these was not also attracted to men.) The 11% lesbian population at Smith is higher than the national average. The percentage who consider themselves lesbian or bi is not.</p>
<p>In either case, it is significantly smaller than the gay male population at Yale.</p>
<p>Frankly, I'm glad there is such a welcoming place for women - ALL women - of whatever their preference. And if I were a Smithie, I wouldn't want to be defined by my sexual preference(s).</p>
<p>Well she told me that more than half the women that she knew who attended Smith were gay or bi, and at first I didnt believe her, especially after reading here that it was maybe about 11% but then I read some stuff about the city of Northampton, MA and found out that it has the most lesbians per capita than any other city in the U.S.
Top</a> 101 cities with the largest percentage of likely lesbian couples (counted as self-reported female-female unmarried-partner households) (population 5,000+)</p>
<p>So maybe people confuse the city demographics with the schools?</p>
<p>You did notice that, in Northampton, it was 2.7% of households, didn't you? In other words, 97.3% were likely NOT lesbian couples.</p>
<p>Bottom line: if you are not gay-tolerant, Smith is not a good match for you. If you are straight, you are not going to be pressured to be otherwise though there might be some "oh darn" moments, just as any other place where someone finds out you're not interested in them. </p>
<p>In terms of unwanted sexual advances, you'd probably find far fewer at Smith than at most co-ed campuses...you'd be amazed at what a constant presence of alcohol mixed with testosterone does.</p>
<p>Anything else?</p>
<p>I'm a prospective Smithie; I'm also queer. Somewhere below academics and above campus looks on my college check list is how accepting a school is. College is the only time in your life where you get to live in a bubble, a place that is blatantly not the real world--and it's also the only time you get to choose it. I want mine to be accepting as possible. Smith, at least from my point-of-view, has a reputation for being open and accepting of all diversity, maybe especially of different sexualities. I won't lie--that does factor into why Smith is one of my top choices. Being able to be open and accepted is important to me, as it's not something I've been able to do at home. </p>
<p>That doesn't really answer your question, but I thought you should know: the reputation Smith has of being open does factor into some students' college choices. And just as a side note, it bothers me that this is such a concern...as TD said, this question seems to pop up A LOT. Why does it matter to so many girls who identify as straight? There are gay people at other schools, after all.</p>
<p>AJ, it's self-privileging but the question that seems most valid to me for a straight young woman or parents of same is, "Is a straight woman going to feel pressured or discriminated against at Smith?" The answer is "No." </p>
<p>Every other gay-related question I can think of seems to be on much shakier grounds.</p>
<p>Oh, AJ...there are those who wish to white-wash the gay presence at Smith as well, seemingly to pre-emptively make it less threatening to some. Fwiw, I think that's a disservice as well.</p>
<p>I think the one thing that makes Smith stand out for me is just how much it allows...facilitates?...encourages?...students to maximize their potential. Can't say that all do but it's not the college's fault if someone doesn't. </p>
<p>As for undergrad academics, Smith is on a short and eclectic list for me...your mileage may vary:</p>
<p>Smith
Yale
Swarthmore
U/Chicago
Wellesley
MIT
Bryn Mawr</p>
<p>There are both differences and distinctions among that group, obviously. For a young woman, I'd take Smith hands down over Amherst and Williams, for instance. Though choice of major might make some differences as well.</p>
<p>Hm, TD, I guess wondering whether they'd be pressured to be "gay" is a valid question, though it does some a bit absurd to me. There are very few--if an--places where queer people out number straight people; even at gay-friendly places, you straight folk still far out number us queers. Being gay friendly simply ups the percentage from the average 10% to somewhere far below 50%; it doesn't imply a gay majority at all. </p>
<p>We do overlap a bit when it comes to undergrad academics; I'm applying to Yale, UChicago, and Wellesley (as well as Smith, obviously!). I didn't find Swarthmore and Bryn Mawr all that interesting, though I know they're good schools--and MIT is far, far out of my league. :] It's reassuring, though, to know that someone has a similar list of schools!</p>
<p>AJ, the question isn't <em>quite</em> absurd given that there's so many ill-founded murmuring about "a lot of lesbians" that it can make one wonder if there's any problem associated with the fact. When D was admitted to Smith, people came out of the woodwork, sidling up to me and saying, "You know, there are a lot of lesbians at Smith." </p>
<p>It got so annoying that I considered printing up a card that said:</p>
<ol>
<li> We know.</li>
<li> She's not. (Not that it matters).</li>
<li> It's not a problem.</li>
<li> <i forget="" what="" the="" fourth="" point="" was.=""></i></li><i forget="" what="" the="" fourth="" point="" was.="">
</i></ol><i forget="" what="" the="" fourth="" point="" was.="">
<p>The bottom line for me is that half of one's college education takes place outside the classroom and D's Smith peers, collectively, were a most impressive bunch. As are the alums. Heck, as are some of the current applicants I've been fortunate to meet. In none of this does sexual orientation ever come up as a relevant factor.</p>
</i>
<p>""You know, there are a lot of lesbians at Smith." </p>
<p>The only reason it ever come up is because Smith has lots of powerful WOMEN. That's what is really threatening. No one ever says, "You know there are a lot of gay men at Yale", despite approximately three times the number of lesbians at Smith.</p>
<p>The idea of there being a place where all the resources are there placed at the disposal of women, and women who can indeed define themselves (including, but not in the least limited to their sexuality) is an "in your face" concept.</p>
<p>ahh,
well said mini. ITA.</p>
<p>I guess I understand why straight girls ask this question, because the stereotype about Smith is everywhere. However, it´s how they ask it that really shows me whether they should be at Smith or not. This didn´t seem particularly terrible.</p>
<p>One time someone asked me: ¨So, like, are all of the girls at Smith gay? Are you, like, only applying to girl´s schools, cuz they´d, like, have more lesbians for you to date?¨</p>
<p>Currently, Smith is my top choice.
i am a junior in high school and I have visited smith twice.
i absolutely love it there and I am straight. However, I did have the same concern considering all the stereotypes. Just out of curiosity I would like to know the gay:straight ratio on campus although, it would not in any case effect my opinions on Smith. hopefully i will get accepted, that’s my top concern.</p>
<p>When I announced I was applying to Wellesley, Bryn Mawr, Smith, Barnard and the lot, my friends refused to believe I was straight for weeeeeks. (The fact that I’m fairly open with my feminism and carry around a Hillary Clinton bag prolly didn’t help my case either. 
) When I went to a Smith tea, though, all the alums joked about being straight at Smith and were incredibly laid-back ladies, which consoled me a bit. Being a straight feminist applying to girls’ schools can be miserable at times, heh. :P</p>
<p>Alexa, as mentioned earlier in this thread, about 10-15% of Smithies in a recent survey identified themselves as gay or lesbian; an additional 15-20% consider themselves bisexual. A sizable majority of Smith students are straight. Many people who date women at Smith will also date men at some point in their lives.</p>
<p>More importantly for you, at Smith all sexual orientations are accepted. You can tell your friends about your crush or a recent date and have the reaction be the same whether you’re dating a man or a woman. If someone gets a crush on you, you can say “no thanks” and just be flattered and be done with it–same as if a guy you didn’t want to date asked you out! It’s just not really a big deal at Smith. My best friend there was a different sexual orientation than me and it didn’t affect our friendship at all…on the contrary, I think we both learned a lot from each other!</p>