Hey CC,
I am strongly considering UA, but I’m wondering what is the atmosphere like at UA? Are gay students accepted and how common is it to see an openly gay student? That is one of my biggest concerns in coming to UA. I know UA is a large University and it is probably isn’t an issue, but it still frightens me a bit. Thank you for leaving some info about your experience at UA!
I see openly gay people at UA and around Tuscaloosa ALL THE TIME (i live here.). The campus has a group called Spectrum which many LGBT students belong to, but also their straight friends join in support of LGBT. Tuscaloosa is a pretty accepting place.
A couple of years ago, during the Homecoming Parade, Terri Saban, Nick Saban’s wife, introduced on the TV show broadcasting the parade, the campus LGBTQ group as it marched down the street. If you are concerned that Alabama is not pro Gay enough, consider this: With around 60 % of students from out of state, why would life be harder for Gays at UA than anywhere else?
One of my son’s best friends since freshman year is gay. There was an issue where the parents of one of their mutual friends (a first-generation Asian-American kid) didn’t want them to live together once they all moved off campus, but they’re all still friends. And I really think that kind of thing can happen at a lot of schools (excepting super liberal campuses).
Why don’t you visit and see how it feels?
I disagree. Certainly at super liberal campuses there might be parents of a “first generation Asian-American” student or whatever, have the same issue. Liberal kids attending liberal schools may not have parents who view things the same. The top ranked schools tend to be very liberal, yet also have a lot of first gen students who might have immigrant parents who have naive concerns.
That said, things happen everywhere. No school is completely free of having some student/faculty that doesn’t have 100% accepting attitudes about all things/people.