I was wondering what student life is like for a transgender person at the University of Florida and in Gainesville. I know I will have access to student services, but what I really want to know is: how accepting is the student body? I know that no university is a queer utopia, but the University of Florida’s large Greek life has me worried because uncontrolled frats are usually havens for belligerent transphobes . Note: I have never been to Gainesville, so if it is secretly a liberal hipster rainbow explosion, please correct me. Tre dankon!
Bonus: is Gainesville actually fun outside of the university, or does it get old fast?
Gainesville is pretty liberal for Florida but it’s not San Fransisco type liberal. It still has a lot of southern history and roots that make it somewhat conservative. I think generally most people will not care or harass you in day to day life and you’ll probably find friendships amongst the LGBTQ clubs and organizations on campus but there will be plenty of people who will be standoffish or not be interested in friendships with you because of your differences. And that’s going to happen with most minority groups in one way or another. The school can be very cliquish and tribal because it’s so big people like to stick with their own groups and not cross pollinate too much into other cliques and tribes.
But it only takes one jerk to ruin your day and you’ll need to be prepared for that. In a campus with 50,000 people, there are going to be plenty of jerks.
If you want others to be open to your choices, you need to be open to theirs. Don’t stereotype the greeks if you don’t want them to pre-judge you. They are not uncontrolled as both the college and their national organizations set boundaries.
Some of the parents on this board can be pretty unwelcoming to trans students. I don’t know anything about Gainesville but you might find Campus Pride Index and Unigo reviews helpful to get a flavor for the schools. Also, you are welcome to call the LGBTQ office and ask any question you like.