<p>I am a junior in high school and considering applying to Williams. Recently, I posted a thread about the art history program on the Williams page of CC. In the past few weeks, I have been learning more and more about the program, and it really seems like a really great fit for my interests and ambitions. </p>
<p>I don't mean to fill up the Williams page on here with my posts, but I have also uncovered some concerning information in my research of Williams, and I'm wondering if any alumni, current students, parents of students, or people otherwise associated with the school can either confirm or deny what I have found. </p>
<p>It seems that, despite Williams being placed on The Advocate's list of "top 100 gay friendly schools" a degree of homophobia is still present on campus and that Williams is not as accepting of LGBT individuals as other North East liberal arts colleges like Swarthmore and Wesleyan. The following excerpt from The Williams Record is an example of the type of information that has been raising red flags for me:</p>
<p>" "There definitely is a stigma associated with being gay on campus, Li said. Campus culture still permits jokes about homosexuality... This is a very heteronormative campus â girls are meant to dance with guys at parties, and so on" (taken from A</a> celebration of queer pride : The Williams Record)</p>
<p>Regardless of what college I attend, I know there will always be some people who will be unable to respect and deal with the fact that I am bi. However, coming from a high school that is remarkably similar to the description in the quote above, I'd always hoped college would be different, and finding a campus where students are not only tolerant but also accepting of the LGBT community is one of my priorities. Thanks for responding.</p>
<p>I am not the right person to reply to questions about Williams’ culture reLGBT. I have heard both sides argued and student voices are more appropriate here. But as sad as it makes me to say this, if this is an important issue to you there are schools much more in the forefront on alternative lifestyles: Yale, Bard, Wesleyan, Smith for women, Sarah Lawrence among others all have great art programs and might be better places. Williams would be the loser if you chose another school. You sound like a breadbox.</p>
<p>That is really disappointing. I know a lot of other schools have quality art programs, but Williams’ seems to provide an unparalleled level of resources and support. It seems like such an anomaly that all the other schools you mentioned have more accepting atmospheres while academically they seem so closely comparable to Williams.</p>
<p>My experience has been that Williams students, staff, and faculty are overwhelming accepting and supportive, but the reality of a small school in an isolated location is that there just aren’t a whole lot of gay people (figure 4% of 1000 male students = roughly 40 gay guys, 10 in each class year), so the campus gay scene is not as visible or vibrant as it might be at larger / more urban schools where it’s easier to obtain a critical mass. I certainly wouldn’t be worried about homophobia at Williams, though.</p>
<p>Breadbox is going to be my new euphemism for a kid who will succeed at Williams. :)</p>
<p>I’d have to agree, that Williams isn’t a gay destination. Not positive, but not negative either – just neutral, though the Berkshires are more counterculture-friendly than you might imagine. </p>
<p>Have you visited? That’s always the first step with Williams, under any cultural circumstances. The reaction is usually immediate – love it or get me out of here.</p>
<p>I am in Williamstown for my S’s graduation. He’s not gay, but he’s not your ordinary bear either. He does no sports is a Classics major. (There are only 5 this year.) The chair of his department was extolling his general knowledge. He’s very different from most people – very deep and quite quiet. He has loved, loved, loved his time here. I think it is very hard for him to say goodbye.</p>
<p>I have not had a chance to visit yet, and because I will be so busy this summer with arts related stuff, I can’t get out there until September/October. But I believe then I will be able to visit! I appreciate your post.</p>
<p>I have considered Vassar, but it really doesn’t seem to come anywhere close to being as strong in art history/arts management related opportunities as Williams.</p>
<p>When I dropped D off to college her freshman year last year, there was a large sign welcoming the LGBT community and during the multi-cultural lunch, the new staff they added to counsel and advise students on gender and sexuality spoke. It would be great to visit his office (central area of the campus) when you do visit. It seems to me that the administration is trying very hard to address any negative LGBT issues on campus. </p>
<p>When visiting this last time, I saw 2 same sex couples on campus holding hands and affectionate. </p>
<p>Check out the The Gender & Sexuality Resource Center or MCC (Multicultural Center, same mission but might be renamed soon) at Williams!! And try emailing Lilli (sp? Lili?) Rodriguez or Justin Adkins. They direct the MCC and are involved in the QSU, are so nice, and will share a wealth of information on LGTBQ at Williams!</p>
<p>Straight son’s impressions echo multiple others on this thread–William administration is very supportive of LGBT students, and really doesn’t seem to be an issue with overwhelming bulk of students–Jeke’s right though- in small school. just aren’t going to be that many gay kids–bigger school would give you more organizations and larger potential pool of partners–In addition to schools suggested above, you might look at Oberlin, which has strong reputation as LGBT friendly place–conservatory is very strong and school is strong all around, but I don’t know about art proper</p>
<p>willstardust, I’m attending Williams starting in September, so I am by no means the authority on LGBTQQIAA life at Williams. But when I was considering where to go, I did talk to a few people expressing your same concerns. For an openly gay man, I haven’t been picked on much, but I still wanted a place that was accepting of my sexual orientation. What they had to say was this: the administration is EXTREMELY supportive of LGBT+ issues. Also, the QSU (Queer Student Union) and MinCo (Minority Coalition) are both very active in making Williams a safe place. As far as profs go, all are tolerant, but the degree of acceptance varies based on the department. For instance, you’d be more likely to find an ally in the sociology department than in economics. However, I’d wager you’d find this at almost any school. Only one of the people I talked to has EVER felt unsafe, and that was at a “straight” dance; nothing happened. If dating a man is an issue, I’d go for a bigger school. There seems to be a fairly significant hook-up culture at Williams, so if you’re looking for a long-term relationship, it can be hard to find. But I’d again wager that you’d find this at most small schools. All in all, I think that Williams is definitely a safe place with TONS of support and many understanding people, though it does have its moments of heteronormativity. Definitely visit (the art program is amazing, I hear), so you can get a better feel. But I would not be attending if I got the feeling that I would be an unwelcome minority. Hope this helps!</p>
<p>My friend graduated from Wesleyan University as an Art History major, and then finished his dissertation at Princeton. He said that Wesleyan has a great Art History program, and I have heard it is very LGBT friendly. So, you might want to consider Wesleyan.</p>
<p>It may also be important to note that this was written 5 years ago. Considering how much progress has been made in terms of LGBT+ rights (ie DADT and same-sex marriage), it is probably the case that the stigma mentioned in the article is not nearly as strong as it once was.</p>
<p>As a gay alum of Williams I can’t speak much to the experience of those with alternate lifestyles (i.e., opposite-sex sexual preference), but I have heard some frustration among those types of people (i.e., straight people have trouble dating and finding long-term romance, which is somewhat frowned upon although tacitly acknowledged) at Williams. Therefore, being queer at Williams is arguably no more fraught than being straight. All of the arguments you may hear about isolation and dubious prospects finding your soul mate in the middle of the Berkshire mountains apply in considerable if not equal force to opposite-sex-oriented heterosexuals. In sum - if you are jonesing for art history, and you have a chance to go to Williams - apply, fool! Don’t let people steer you away for specious reasons filtered through their own lens of what Williams is. Once you’re a famous curator at Guggenheim you will be the epicenter of all same-sex desire and get all the romance you want for the next 80 years.</p>