<p>How is the LGBT community in boarding school? How many gay students are there?
I'm applying to Loomis, Middlesex, Blair Academy, and Concord Academy. I know Concord has an accepting atmosphere, but what about the others?</p>
<p>This wouldn’t apply to you, but I noticed Emma Willard has “Safe Space” stickers all around campus.</p>
<p>Hey, stargirl!
Were you at the Emma Open House?</p>
<p>Worcester Academy has an exceptionally welcoming LGBT community and a very proactive, student-led diversity program that receives full support from faculty, administration, student body.</p>
<p>@cameo Indeed, I was! :D</p>
<p>Hi stargirl3:</p>
<p>How did you like Emma?</p>
<p>I really liked it! All the girls and teachers were very enthusiastic and I could tell they love their school. PM me for more info.</p>
<p>Hi, stargirl3:
Tell me more things about Emma! Thank you! Do you have opportunities to meet with boys? I s this a catch?</p>
<p>@springsun I don’t go to Emma, I just went to their open house! I can’t speak much about it, but let’s keep this thread at the top and hope for something from @girlgeekmom or anyone else who knows more than I do!</p>
<p>Hello Ladies, (If you end up at Emma you will receive countless emails and such addressed just like that)… I’m happy to share thoughts - we are big fans and GG is now halfway through her sophomore year. But “tell me more things about Emma” is a wee bit open ended. Are there particular questions you want answered other than whether there are opportunities to meet with boys ( which I’ll address briefly in addition to a quick nod to the LGBT question)?</p>
<p>The school is very welcoming of the LGBT community, and there are plenty of students as well as some faculty and staff who are comfortably out. The transgender issue can be a bit tricky, as it’s a girls’ school. But the students and administration seem to have a good dialogue, and there is respect on all sides as far as I can tell. </p>
<p>As for opportunities to meet boys, or “meet with boys,” (they are not the same thing)… the school has rules about boys on campus and in the dorms, but there are certainly boarders who meet their boyfriends on trips to the mall and church etc. Not many, mind you. It’s not, to be honest, a huge priority. There are dances every now and then, with a consortium of single-sex boarding schools, and many Emma girls do participate. If you feel you can’t get through a school day without boys around, Emma (and probably any other girls’ boarding school) is likely not the best place for you.</p>
<p>I’ve shared before that Emma was the ONLY girls’ school we visited two years ago. And we did not choose it because it was all-girls. That said, we recognize the pluses, and GG is really happy in the Emma community. She commented early on, after the first co-ed dance, “I’d forgotten how much drama having boys around adds to the mix. Some of the girls here turn into completely different-and-not-in-a-good-way people when the boys are here. And then the boys leave and the girls are much better almost immediately.” This was, of course, one girl’s opinion. GG has plenty of boys with whom she’s friendly, from home, various activities and summer programs. </p>
<p>So really, if boys are the deal breaker, oh well.</p>
<p>Next question?</p>
<p>Hey, now I don’t know what schools you got accepted to, or if you’re still even using this site, but I think most boarding schools are pretty LGBT friendly. I know Loomis is, or I wouldn’t have applied, because I’m active in my current school’s GSA and it’s very important to me. I think you should look at the website and consider what clubs they have. Do they have a lot of diversity clubs and maybe a GSA, or a lot perhaps many religious clubs while lacking the former? I think clubs say a lot about the student body, so I would think about that. </p>