<p>I'm sure there have been threads on this but I've never been all that successful searching on CC and this topic is no exception. Can someone help me find threads of this nature? A friend's son just came out and, while he's narrowed down his list (he's a senior), she'd like to make sure they're schools where he would feel welcome.</p>
<p>It would be much easier to rule out schools where he probably * wouldn’t* feel accepted.</p>
<p>Bob Jones, BYU, any religious school that doesn’t have LGBT support on campus…</p>
<p>[NW</a> Gay and Lesbian organizations](<a href=“http://faculty.washington.edu/alvin/nwgorg.htm]NW”>NW Gay and Lesbian organizations)</p>
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<p>[JUST</a> ANNOUNCED: Campus Pride Climate Index ranks gay-friendliness of American colleges and universities just in time for ?Back to School|](<a href=“http://www.campusprideblog.org/blog/just-announced-campus-pride-climate-index-ranks-gay-friendliness-american-colleges-and-universi]JUST”>http://www.campusprideblog.org/blog/just-announced-campus-pride-climate-index-ranks-gay-friendliness-american-colleges-and-universi)</p>
<p>While I really like the idea of this thread, to help a particular student more information is needed. Because gay students might be interested in large research universities, tech schools, liberal art schools, jock schools, arty schools, east coast schools, west coast schools, southern schools, etc. And they will have widely varying stats that will also determine what schools are appropriate.</p>
<p>Unless we want to create a lot of different kinds of gay friendly schools lists, which would seem a wonderful exercise imho ;)</p>
<p>Check to see if the colleges have a GLBT organization on campus. If they don’t (and especially if they won’t allow one on campus), that’s a red flag. Avoid anything with “Bible” in the name.</p>
<p>I’d look at the big (in size) public Us and at smaller public Us on a case by case basis. (One of the smaller public Us near me doesn’t have any GLBT organizations and is in a conservative area of the state. I’m sure they don’t have “Revile a Gay Day” or anything, but the atmosphere may not be as comfortable as it would be elsewhere.)</p>
<p>I would think LACs would usually be very accepting.</p>
<p>A lot of Catholic colleges will be accepting of gays, others not. Again, check for GLBT organizations on campus and see if you can get a frank appraisal from them.</p>
<p>Vassar has an active gay community. S says everyone is cool with everyone else. There is even an orientation event sponsored by the LGBTQ called Gays of Our Lives. Quiz show format that many students-gay and straight-attend because iti s so much fun.</p>
<p>Thank you! I now realize I was a little too broad in my question. This is a boy who wishes to pursue music, has already auditioned at a number of schools and has narrowed down his list to about 8 or so. Many of the schools are in the midwest. I guess I’m wondering if there’s any kind of ranking or score given to schools which, of course, would likely be subjective but, at least, a place to start.</p>
<p>In terms of the LGBT group on campus, I believe my friend has already established the schools on the list all do have one registered. While it’s good to know, as those of us on the ‘schools for the Jewish B student’ thread’ have discussed, presence of a Hillel doesn’t necessarily mean a large Jewish presence or one that fits a particular type of student, etc. So, I was hoping to help her research further…thank you again!</p>
<p>NYU comes to mind.</p>
<p>emeraldkitty,
Just clicked on your link–perfect! will forward it on to my friend.</p>
<p>I would also suggest reading Out & About on Campus- personalized accounts in different types of schools & finding a PFLAG support group
[PFLAG:</a> Parents, Families, & Friends of Lesbians and Gays](<a href=“http://community.pflag.org/Page.aspx?pid=194&srcid=-2]PFLAG:”>http://community.pflag.org/Page.aspx?pid=194&srcid=-2)</p>
<p>& here is a reading booklist that may be helpful.
[PFLAG</a> Birmingham](<a href=“http://pflagbham.org/reading.html]PFLAG”>http://pflagbham.org/reading.html)</p>
<p>For school recommendation- Oberlin & Brandeis come to mind.
I would also look at the New England Conservatory.</p>
<p>What type of music is he interested in? A larger school will be able to support broader choices- then again a smaller school he may be able to pursue different interests at same time.</p>
<p>I assume you’ve already looked here? [url=<a href=“LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges | The Princeton Review”>LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges | The Princeton Review]Test</a> Prep: GMAT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT, SAT, ACT, and More<a href=“Despite%20the%20tag%20this%20is%20the%20LGBT-Friendly%20list%20from%20PR.”>/url</a></p>
<p>Ithaca College is a huge one. They have a LGBT Center on campus to focus on the issues for those students. Movie nights and they have a lot of information on Day of Silence and National Coming Out Day. A housing community is on campus called the House of Roy.</p>
<p>I wonder if one of the midwestern schools he is considering is Lawrence University, which includes a music conservatory and has a reputation for being LGBT friendly.</p>
<p>I would say to not be at all put off by schools in the Midwest, out of some fear that they might not be as open-minded as schools in large, coastal cities. Many Midwest colleges and college towns are very progressive, or at the very least they are often welcoming of LGBTQ students. Rather than tossing out the baby with the bathwater, if he’s already identified schools with good music programs that he likes, he might think of visiting the CC pages for those schools and just asking the things he wants to know. </p>
<p>He should think too about life beyond the dorm room and the campus. Is the town welcoming of gay people and gay couples (like most college kids, he may decide to date a little during school, and I’m sure he’d be happier living in a place where he could have an open relationship). Are there any gay bookstores in town, any gay clubs nearby? This is not to say that he has to only go places labeled “gay” (i.e. “Gay bar”, “gay club”, “gay clothing store”, “gay bookstore”), but since he just came out, he might be interested in going to places where he can be with other gay guys who are also out and open. When my friends came out in college they spent a lot of time trying to figure out just what it meant to be a gay adult, and sometimes being able to meet other adults who are out, being able to read literature featuring gay characters or addressing gay issues, or just having a place to buy a silly rainbow bumper sticker or button, helped them explore this part of their identity that they had kept hidden for a long time. </p>
<p>He may also want to see if that college, town or area has an LGBTQ oriented newspaper or magazine, which can be an indicator that there is a social scene that’s accepting of gay people, and that there are enough gay readers in the area to justify the expense of publishing something like that.</p>
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<p>[UCLA</a>, Princeton Top Gay-Friendly Colleges List | News | Advocate.com](<a href=“http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/08/04/UCLA,_Princeton_Top_Friendliest_Colleges_List/]UCLA”>http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/08/04/UCLA,_Princeton_Top_Friendliest_Colleges_List/)</p>
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Agreed. I’m currently at a decidedly mediocre public university in the self-proclaimed buckle of the Bible belt, and even here I’ve found the LGB community remarkably accepted. It’s not what you’d find in more liberal areas, to be sure, but one can certainly be out without qualms. I’ve worked with the LGB community center and several other colleges in the area as well and found the community quite supportive. The days are long gone when one need attend Vassar or Oberlin to be accepted. Lists of “gay-friendly” schools, while good-intentioned, are usually very limited in scope and somewhat misleading, as there are dozens of very affirming schools and hundreds of very accepting ones. :rolleyes:</p>
<p><a href=“This%20is%20considerably%20less%20true%20for%20T%20people,%20however.%20There%20is%20still%20much%20to%20be%20done%20there%20even%20at%20elite%20colleges.”>size=-2</a>[/size]</p>
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I would check for the following, in this order:</p>
<p>1) Does it have an LGBT center? If so, contact it. There is no better resource than current students and staff. It’s best to generally ignore what you read online – often those opinions are from people unfamiliar with the colleges in question or have at best second-hand knowledge. Even alumni accounts can be misleading, as they can be out of date considering how fast campuses are changing these days.</p>
<p>[Consortium</a> : Directory](<a href=“http://www.lgbtcampus.org/directory/]Consortium”>http://www.lgbtcampus.org/directory/)</p>
<p>2) Check the Campus Climate Index. You need an email address to register, but it is free to use. (Suggested above by emeraldkity4.)</p>
<p>[Campus</a> Pride: Find Your Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Friendly College or University](<a href=“http://www.campusclimateindex.org/]Campus”>http://www.campusclimateindex.org/)</p>
<p>3) Acquire a copy of the Advocate College Guide.</p>
<p>[The</a> Advocate college guide for LGBT students (Book, 2006) [WorldCat.org]](<a href=“http://worldcat.org/title/advocate-college-guide-for-lgbt-students/oclc/70875301]The”>http://worldcat.org/title/advocate-college-guide-for-lgbt-students/oclc/70875301)
[Amazon.com:</a> The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students (9781555838577): Shane L. Windmeyer: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Advocate-College-Guide-LGBT-Students/dp/155583857X]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Advocate-College-Guide-LGBT-Students/dp/155583857X)</p>
<p>Music may be what he wants to major in, but question is: what kind of stats does he have? Unless he wants to go to a conservatory (which it appears he doesn’t). That would help narrow down the list. I am surprised that Wesleyan is not on the list. Swarthmore is also very LGBT friendly. Oberlin and Ithaca College are the only LACs mentioned in the list.</p>
<p>I know that DD has a lot of gay friends at Rice and everyone seems pretty accepting there of everyone, and Shepherd is a great music school. I know there is a preconceived notion of the South, but Houston’s mayor is gay and a Rice grad.</p>
<p>Midwest, gay friendly, music? Oberlin is an obvious match.</p>