<p>I was wondering what LGBT life is like at Columbia, as I'll be going there as an undergraduate this fall. Is the gay community very visible? What's the dating scene like (for gay girls)? Is it hard to be openly gay at Columbia (especially as a girl)? </p>
<p>I'm rather nervous about going to college and being openly gay, even if it is in NYC. If anyone could answer my questions above, I'd feel more at ease!</p>
<p>columbia is exceedingly open place, and one of the few communities where folks will actually come to your defense if you are insulted, it is good to know that joe columbian cares about you and that you’re comfortable.</p>
<p>there are a lot of groups, a lot of folks, and as my friends attest they felt comfortable enough to walk around campus and hold hands or do small displays of affection.</p>
<p>some student start out small with a group like EAAH (everyone allied against homophobia) because it isn’t as stigmatizing, but the CQA is one of the more active groups on campus, and the Office of Multicultural Affairs has a fulltime person dedicated to LGBT programming.</p>
<p>in the end you’ll know when it feels right to tell folks and to feel more comfortable in the setting. but yeah - it is one of the better places to be in the LGBT community because of how accepting everyone is.</p>
<p>Yeah, it’s NYC. Honestly, some of the best times I’ve had is at first friday, which is a dance put on by the LGBT organization. Very few people will even look twice if they see you holding hands with a girl or something of that nature. I guess there are probably some guys who will stare, but no one will accost you or judge.</p>
<p>Thanks guys, for replying. admissionsgeek, I was actually strongly considering joining EAAH and/or CQA - what do you mean when you say EAAH “isn’t as stigmatizing”? Is it because people don’t automatically assume you’re gay? Also, what sort of LGBT programming is there? So far I’ve only heard of the first friday dances, which to be honest I wonder if I’ll be rather awkward at. </p>
<p>I was also hoping to find out more about the dating scene amongst the gay community at Columbia (not that I want/need to date, but it’s good to have options). Also, I should probably clarify that I’m an international student - and come from a pretty homophobic society, so that accounts for my shyness/awkwardness being openly gay on campus, because I’m just not accustomed to being blase about something so personal, even though I know people at Columbia are very accepting in general. What is the international gay community like (if there is a significant presence, anyway)? </p>
<p>Thanks so much for your help!</p>
<p>lots of dating, there are international students who are gay, but it’s a small number, just because Columbia is ~10% international, and probably 5-10% gay. However, there is a large gay community on campus, with good social events. In most cases you just find someone else you think is attractive, think he/she is gay and then you go talk to him/her. It really is no big deal.</p>