<p>I am a gay male from the West Coast looking at both Duke and Wake Forest. I am really in love with both schools, but for different reasons. You would probably not guess that I am gay upon meeting me, and I am very preppy/athletic and am a HUGE sports fan. Which school do you think would be a better environment for a gay student? I know that Wake has the reputation of being more conservative, but I also get the sense that the kids there are generally very welcoming and that the friendly southern hospitality is very pervasive. I know that Duke probably has a little bit larger of a gay population. Also, how do you think fraternities would respond if I were to rush (and be open about my sexuality during rush)? Just give me your thoughts. And any other thoughts about the pro's and con's of either school would be great too! Thanks.</p>
<p>I’m not sure to be honest, but Im guessing some will like you and some won’t like the fact that you are gay at both schools. Obviously some states like CA, NY, and the New England States have populations more open to gay marriage, but a lot of NE kids go to Duke and WF.</p>
<p>Duke has a huge gay and lesbian life; I’m not sure about Wake. You literally see a gay pride flag hanging out of almost every 30th dorm window you pass because the LGBT center gives them out like candy. Love=love shirts are also popular (feature a man and man or women holding hands).</p>
<p>Anyway, I’m straight but if you come to Duke, you definitely won’t have a problem at all being gay.</p>
<p>Not sure about Wake but I imagine it should be the same!</p>
<p>I will second what Helicio said about Duke–the LGBT center has a big presence on campus. From what I can tell (I’m not gay), the LGBT community is very close-knit. Not sure if you’re looking for that, but either way it’s nice to know that it’s there. Regarding the Greek thing, I know a handful of Greeks who are gay (and out). I urge you to check out the Blue Devils United blog ([our</a> lives](<a href=“http://www.bluedevilsunited.com/]our”>http://www.bluedevilsunited.com/)), particularly this article: [our</a> lives: A Gay Greek’s Plea](<a href=“http://www.bluedevilsunited.com/2010/05/gay-greeks-plea.html]our”>our lives: A Gay Greek's Plea).</p>
<p>I don’t know much about Wake, but their Greek scene is much more traditional. You may be able to find a niche there, but my educated guess would be that you would have an easier time finding that at Duke.</p>
<p>I have a feeling that Duke might be more diverse and accepting than Wake Forest.</p>
<p>Ask this on the wake board if you haven’t already because they may (and should) know more about the greek scene at WF</p>
<p>thanks for all the feedback - this is kind of what I expected from Duke, but I will definitely post the same question on the Wake board.</p>