<p>I applied to USC. Its my first choice college. But I'm worried about being transgender on campus. I'm an FtM. For those who don't know. it means I'm biologically female, I'm starting testosterone soon though. Maybe when I get to USC if I go there, maybe before. But anyway. I'll be living as a male. Off campus, so I'm not worried about the dorm situation. Just life on campus.</p>
<p>There are some colleges like Emerson that welcome trans people into greek life. but I don't USC isn't one of them. I am interested in joining a frat. But I think that would be a disaster at USC. </p>
<p>When I am on T, I'm interested in joining a men's sports team. But again. At USC, not sure that would go over well.</p>
<p>My mom thinks I should go somewhere like Cal where culture is more open and accepting. But I still like a lot of things about USC better. </p>
<p>Do anyone here have experiences with this? I want to know the positive and negative. The truth. Thanks. </p>
<p>I can not talk with any specifics about how USC would work - but they do have an active LGBT community. Also, a close friend is transgender and the doctor suggested California as a more open environment as well. Why not call and ask?</p>
<p>Hi @mynewstart , </p>
<p>I am sorry you are not getting responses to your question - you happen to have posted just when the acceptance/rejection frenzy is at its peak, so posters are focused on that :). I am not a student at USC (I’m a mom), so I can’t tell you how it is on campus, but I can tell you that as an institution USC’s policy is to be welcoming to all students, including transgender students. This page <a href=“http://sait.usc.edu/lgbt/coming-out/transausc.aspx”>http://sait.usc.edu/lgbt/coming-out/transausc.aspx</a> will get you started in looking for resources and support.</p>
<p>Be sure to look at the housing options section. Don’t feel like you have to live off-campus! There ARE housing options for you and if you still feel uncomfortable, start a discussion/make suggestions/change the world a tiny bit at a time and create an option that is perfect.</p>
<p>Best of luck to you :)</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses. </p>
<p>Yeah I am excited about the acceptance/rejection thing too, haven’t gotten my letter yet (I’m a transfer). :)</p>
<p>Anyway about my post. Part of my decision to live off campus is about the trans thing but not fully. I have a cousin that goes to USC and lives off campus, I’m going to live with him. I like the idea of having more privacy and my own space instead of dorm life. </p>
<p>I also know that USC as an instituion is welcoming to trans. They have good resources, as far as I can tell, the same policies that Cal has. They have trans surgeries and HRT covered by student health insurance. Very happy about that.</p>
<p>Its the student body I’m concerned about. I might get involved with LGBT groups and stuff but really I feel like an average guy, not “that trans guy”. If possible, I’d like to experience colllege as a regular dude. I’d like to join a frat, sports, etc and not have special treatment or attention. Maybe not possible though. </p>
<p>It sounds like you want a chance to be who you are and want to try going somewhere no one knows you - that makes sense. Just keep in the back of your mind that we are all products of the journey that got us here, so “who you are” includes those first couple of decades of your life :). Maintaining your privacy is great, but don’t let yourself get stressed out trying to hide the journey that got you to this point.</p>
<p>As for sports, if you are thinking of USC’s Division 1 sports teams, if you aren’t a recruited athlete, that might be difficult (regardless of gender!). If you are talking about intramurals <a href=“http://sait.usc.edu/Recsports/sports/intramurals/registration”>http://sait.usc.edu/Recsports/sports/intramurals/registration</a> , sign up and see what happens - if there are any issues (and I doubt there would be), you can be the leader who breaks down those barriers (in a peaceful way, of course!).</p>
<p>Overall, I would suggest getting involved in lots of activities. Jump into many, many opportunities to see where an average guy fits best and then concentrate on those things.</p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
<p>Thanks, alamemom. </p>
<p>According to USC’s website, I would be able to play on the men’s teams once I’m on T. </p>
<p>But still, what I’m worried about is the actual students. Not USC’s policies, those don’t concern me because USC seems accepting and accomdating as a college. </p>
<p>Yeah USC has tons of students and I’m sure a good number will be accepting of me. But my mom and some of my friends say that USC has a very traditional culture overall. They think at Cal, there are a lot of LGBT students and a lot of different cultures and “eccentrics” so I wouldn’t stand out that much but at USC I’ll be “the trans guy” and will be ripe for victimization. My mom is also scared about violence and rape possibilities that if I joined a frat and was open about my trans status or even if I wasn’t and they just found out. </p>
<p>I mean you probably don’t really know either way, alamemom, because you don’t have a trans kid at USC (or so I assume). Maybe no one on this forum would know. I read there are probably only 10 - 50 trans students at USC out of like 40,000 so I doubt anyone here would even know. </p>
<p>But if anyone does, I’d love to hear about your experiences.</p>
<p>EDIT: Just read this: <a href=“http://www.neontommy.com/news/2011/12/trans-story”>http://www.neontommy.com/news/2011/12/trans-story</a></p>
<p>It’s from 2011 and thankfully there have been some changes (“As of August 18, 2013, the USC student insurance plan will cover transgender medical needs of up to $50,000 per lifetime.”) but not as good as the UC schools which I could easily go to ($75,000). Hmm…</p>
<p>I think your worries are very understandable it’s just that you can run into that sort if thing regardless of what school you attend. I would think that it would be less likely to occur at USC tha other institutions. Another thing is do you refer to yourself as male or trans when you are interacting with your friends? If you say male, i doubt people would have any questions that could be considered intrusive whereas the latter could open doors to intrusive questions (like this one actually, I apologize)</p>
<p>I agree with everyone’s advice and acknowledge I’m not too knowledgeable about specifics, but appreciate the seriousness. In the end, doesn’t everyone want to have a great college experience. If you haven’t, please contact QUASA <a href=“http://www.uscquasa.com/”>http://www.uscquasa.com/</a> and the LGBT org <a href=“https://sait.usc.edu/lgbt/”>https://sait.usc.edu/lgbt/</a></p>
<p>One of your motifs is Greek life and Athletics. Again, pardon my lack of knowledge, but if you’re legally female, that may preclude you from certain (possibly those) activities. I’d look into this in advance. With the dynamics inherent in Greek life and Athletics, you may find yourself in stressful situations. I don’t know how you plan to approach things, but hypothetically: you start pledging a frat and after a few weeks you tell a pledge bro that you’re transgender. Even if he’s normally ok with the LGBT community, he may feel tricked, and losing trust while pledging is one of the worst things that can happen. If you start by being open, I think some of the frats may have no problem, but honestly, I think at least the top half would not consider giving you a bid. Depending on your reasons for Greek life, other fraternal organizations may provide the desired experience with less of a gender-based dynamic. Do note that there’s a group for LGBT Greek members that meets every week, so it’s not like you’re alone. Good luck making the best decision for you!</p>
<p>If Emerson is your other choice, I will right now garuntee you that campus is infinitely more accepting than any other campus in the US when it comes to LGBTQ (part of the reason it’s my alternate choice next to USC), the campus is relatively homogenous in it’s opinion. With that said, the inverse is true from USC. USC’s campus might be less accepting, but California as a whole is the most open place. With Emerson, the campus is the most accepting place but Boston is probably the most anti-queer city outside of the rural south and Utah I can think of.</p>
<p>I wish I could give you a more definitive answer on the sports question, but that is a tricky subject even on the professional level, and I don’t know the specifics of NCAA policy. USC does have several Co-Ed frats, however, and I would like to think that most frats will be able to understand enough about LGBTQ issues to recognize your male identity as legitimate. It’s a tricky ground, however, given that frat culture tends to be heavily masculine and heteronormative. If it is any help, any frat that would treat you negatively or discriminate against you because of gender identity isn’t a frat you would want to join in the first place.</p>
<p>I was born and raised in the Los Angeles Area. The culture is generally tolerant of those who identify as LGBT. </p>
<p>Can I tell you, you’re going to run into that problem no matter where you go. Many if not most universities now have strong stances on diversity. But life is what it is. What is appealing about USC is that there are SO MANY students on campus the odds increase that you’ll find your posse.</p>
<p>But I have to tell you, the student body is made up of people from around the world - of different ethnicities, genders and income levels. It is impossible to predict how any individual in the “student” body will react to your situation. It’s just not homogeneous. It IS however, reflective of a part of general society. </p>
<p>There is no “sure thing” no matter where you go. So why worry about it? Take each challenge as they come. </p>
<p>Interesting. I guess I’m not allowed to post links to reddit.</p>
<p>But on USC’s reddit page, there’s a thread re “Gay life at USC” that OP may want to check out.</p>
<p>In general, current students and recent grads seem to represent a higher percentage of the posters on USC’s reddit site – makes sense since reddit tends to trend young. But there are a greater volume of posters here. And this forum has the benefit of longtime posters well-versed in the USC application process (including matters of financial aid).</p>
<p>So when admissions questions pop up on USC’s reddit page, I often direct the questioners here. But if you want a better read on the current pulse on campus, you might want to give reddit a look.</p>