If you get out to Cal and have a minute, might want to look at UCSC. While it does not have the name rec of Cal, UCSD or even UCSB, UC Santa Cruz has some very interesting Marine Bio (and Space Science) stuff going on. We personally know very high-achieving students who chose it over “bigger name” schools due to specifics of program. And it has a very decent literature program as well.
Santa Cruz/Monterrey Bay is a bit of a sleepy “surf/fishing/ex-hippie” town with a warf & boardwalk (feels maybe a bit Cape Cod/cooler Maine/Conn coast town if you need an East Coast reference…). It’s a really beautiful part of the CA coast, smallish town, big school. I dunno specifically how LGBT-friendly it is, but it’s Northern California, pretty close (1.5hrs w/ traffic) to San Francisco so it will be relatively friendly, is my guess.