<p>Hi, I was just wondering if the adage from the title of this thread has any truth to it.</p>
<p>Note: I am gay myself... If the saying were to be true it would make me more interested in Yale, not less.</p>
<p>Haha. When I visited Yale, my host was gay.... and so were a lot of his friends. This is what they told me:</p>
<p>1 in 4 maybe more
1 in 3 maybe me
1 in 2 maybe you
1 in 1: no more legacy!</p>
<p>That cracked me up.</p>
<p>But seriously, I'm sure there is a gay population at Yale, but I doubt it is overwhelming for those who chose to stay away from that scene. On the other hand, for those who seek that scene out, it's there.</p>
<p>One in four was true of the suites I lived in, but I think it's an exaggeration for the campus in general. Yale is a very gay-friendly school and because of its reputation as the "Gay Ivy" it may have more out students than other liberal, NE colleges. Homophobia is not tolerated in the vast majority of social circles. For instance, when I was there, there were gay members of a couple of the jock fraternities who brought their boyfriends to fraternity formals--kind of runs counter to lots of stereotypes. My impression is that Yale is a very safe place to be out and there's a good sized dating pool. There is a "scene", but lots of gay students aren't part of it. My gay friends were very much integrated into the academic, extracurricular and general campus social scene, playing on sports teams, writing for campus publications, singing in a capella groups and debating at the Political Union without anyone batting an eye at their sexual orientation.</p>
<p>While one in four may be something of an exaggeration (although a one in two rule would apply to my suite), you'll find no shortage of same sex oriented people at yale. Some campus polls might suggest as much as one in eight, and my own casual experience would corroborate a good one in ten measure.</p>
<p>I read in psych last year that the statistics from a European poll put the percentage globally at 2-3%, which means that Yale has a surprisingly high proportion!</p>
<p>Yeah man Yale is definitely the place to go if your gay</p>
<p>That sucks....for me..I wanted muchos chicas bonitas :( I guess now it's muchos chicos bonitos....lol</p>
<p>just hope i get in....</p>
<p>
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Yeah man Yale is definitely the place to go if your gay
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<p>HAHAHA. Oh, god. Got 'em!</p>
<p>Hey sheed, it just ups your odds w. the ladies...</p>
<p>Is there a way to request a heterosexual roomate? It is not that I want to discriminate, it is just that having a gay roomate kinda contradicts the idea of single-gender rooms.....</p>
<p>Although this is in the yale forum, I mean this for any school (odds are I am not getting into yale)</p>
<p>Bottom line I would feel VERY uncomfortable in that situation.</p>
<p>Do not attack me for this, a simple yes or no would do</p>
<p>THANKS!</p>
<p>No, you cannot request a heterosexual roommate. And there is no reason why you should want to. College is about getting to know diverse people. Just because your roommate is gay does not mean he will try to hit on you.</p>
<p>im not sayin he will....but why don't girls/boys share the same dorm rooms, its the same idea.</p>
<p>I think if it were a really serious issue for you, you could put it on your housing form. Keep in mind that there's no sexual orientation box on yale's housing form (or to my knowledge, any housing form), so the dean would just be guessing. Bottom line is at any school there's some chance you'll have a gay roommate. If you're really uncomfortable with that notion, perhaps you should apply to schools that are less popular among gay men than northeastern universities with a liberal slant. </p>
<p>I made it clear on my housing form that it would be unwise to pair me with someone that was uncomfortable with a gay roommate (that is, the other side of your concern). I ended up with a gay roommate, which was fine by me.</p>
<p>Conservative midwestern red county --------> Yale. This will be an interesting transition, but I will do my best to be open minded.</p>
<p>Also Plz, i'm not sure it's accurate to say that pairing hetero and homosexuals of the same gender in the same room is the same as having mixed sex housing. I would venture that men and women have a lot more in common with their own gender as roommates than say gay men and straight women. </p>
<p>Eg: it's mildly embarrassing but not altogether a big deal if your male roommate walks in on you masturbating. I'm not sure the same is true of a female...</p>
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<p>Well I think str8 guys would prefer a girl walking in on them than a gay guy, but I guess I can not speak for all...</p>
<p>1 in 4 is pretty accurate, I think!</p>
<p>If you're not comfortable with homosexuality but want to come to Yale, I would either start opening up your mind like right now, lol, or consider going to a school that is more conservative. Yale is very liberal and very open-minded, and people often don't respond very well to, well, homophobia. Trust me, it's not a big deal to live with a gay person. They're not going to hit on you if they know you're straight. Seriously.</p>
<p>yeah im gay and i definitely dont want a gay roomate if i can choose, it would just create uncomfortable situations</p>
<p>It seems like everything people say about the queer student presence at Yale just pertains to guys. What about girls? I don't mean girls that get drunk and discover they're bi--are there lesbians visible on campus?</p>
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<p>To answer a couple of questions: </p>
<p>Really, 1/4 men on campus are not gay. That's a fanciful rumor that some yalies like to hold onto. 1/10 would be much more fair, although obviously it's a hard stat to measure accurately. </p>
<p>Gay roommate pairs happen, and it's what you make of it. My roommate and i get along very well. Maybe it helps that neither of us are attracted to the other, but i like to think that the way we conduct ourselves matters much more. I know of three pairs of gay freshmen that were put together... only one was a problem, and that's bc they didn't have the good sense not to hook up with each other. I prefer having a gay roommate bc it makes certain things less awkward. </p>
<p>As for the lesbian scene... it certainly exists, but is less visible. Less visible doesn't mean smaller, and i'm told by some of my female friends that it's of a decent size. I can't give you first hand experience, but i would advise going to LGBT co-op events at bulldog days to get in touch with people who could give you good info. If you'd like to talk to someone sooner, PM me and i can give you the email of the yalesbians coordinator. </p>
<p>I have to say i'm a bit worried about the considerable discomfort that some people have in regard to the possibility of having a gay roommate. I definitely appreciate the wholly respectful way in which you've voiced your concerns, but it's really not that big of a deal. It might be useful to consider what exactly bothers you about the prospect of a gay roommate, and evaluate if that concern is realistic. If you're still really terrified of the prospect of living with gay men, and aren't willing to approach the idea as an experiment in personal growth, maybe yale (and for that matter, any liberal, northeastern, secular university) isn't the right place for you.</p>