<p>Dude, the Herald is an enormous joke.</p>
<p>I think it’s possible that some people who don’t know much about the Ivies might hear that Yale is the “gay Ivy,” and think that it is somehow predominantly gay. I’ve certainly heard (supposedly) knowledgeable people say such things about Smith. And it’s not that different from some questions about, for example, how Jewish Brandeis is.</p>
<p>So, to give the question a straight (as it were) answer: there are plenty of straight males and females at Yale. My son is a freshman there right now, and most of the kids in his circle are straight. However, there are indeed quite a few gay kids there, and it is not viewed as strange, or problematic for kids to be gay.</p>
<p>LOL @ the very premise of this thread. it reminds me of the postsecret post card from yale this year which reads, “everyone is gay here. everyone.”</p>
<p>your straight son would not be an “anomaly” at yale, i am sure. i know a freshman boy who is also straight and hangs around with mostly straight friends. if it helps, i am a straight girl and will probably be headed to yale next year too. i wouldn’t worry–he’ll find friends. and honestly, sexuality doesn’t matter THAT much in friendship, does it?</p>
<p>Hey Friends</p>
<p>This is the Bullblog… and we just wanted to say thank you for your attentive and thoughtful analyses of our post! We have something to say to you as well… you’re famous! </p>
<p>[College</a> Confidential talks back to the Bullblog The Yale Herald](<a href=“yaleherald.com”>yaleherald.com)</p>
<p>Hope to hear from you soon, and good luck with admissions,
The Bullblog</p>
<p>Ok, this Yale parent went to the Bullblog and read this: </p>
<p>“I just want to assuage the fears of all you worried Yale parents out there: Yale has plenty of straight men, some of whom are even homophobic.”</p>
<p>I am puzzled. Does the Bullblog think that homophobia is a good thing? Or, conversely, that homophobia is, um, a form of wit?</p>
<p>I read it as a counter to an overblown perception of Yale’s gayness (the question raised by the OP) – that there are plenty of straight guys, some of whom even are homophobic.</p>
<p>If there really was a college that was, say, 80% gay students, would it be homophobic for a straight student to be hesitant about going there?</p>
<p>@Hunt : I don’t know. I mean, it would be a huge change from the predominantly straight society we all come from so maybe that might be a reason for the hesitation. In which case, I would understand. (I’m gay) On the other hand, if one doesn’t want to go to a college with a homosexual presence on campus and known for being the “gay” Ivy, then Yale is probably not the place for him/her.</p>
<p>100% correct.</p>
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<p>I suspect the majority, if not all, secular colleges have a LGBT presence on campus these days. Anyone who is academically qualified to consider Yale could also be looking at all the other Ivies. It is my impression that all of the Ivies have active LGBT communities. What makes Yale different in this regard?</p>
<p>We’re used to questions from people from various kinds of minority groups about whether they would be comfortable at various colleges–this applies to gays, ethnic minorities, and even conservatives. We can easily understand that some colleges might be more welcoming to certain minority groups than other colleges. The number of people who attend who are members of that minority is relevant (ie., whether there are enough Jewish students to form a minyan).
It’s a little different if there is a college where the minority is the majority. For example, I think it’s relevant to ask whether a non-Mormon will be comfortable at BYU, or whether a white person would feel comfortable at a HBC. It might be the same if there really were a predominantly gay college (and I don’t think there is one anywhere in the U.S.). While it might be therapeutic for people in the majority to experience being in the minority once in a while, it’s understandable why they would prefer not to do it–and it’s not really phobia.</p>
<p>
Well, it could be gayer, just as Dartmouth is Greeker.</p>
<p>also, it might be ok to be intolerant of someones beliefs (for the most part, this is something we choose), but its seen as significantly less ok to be intolerant of someone for a fact they are born with (i know some people think being gay is a choice, but at least from where i come from, that notion is slightly ridiculous). hence, why its more acceptable to ask if one would be comfortable in a mormon school vs. the question the original poster asked…the two questions are fundamentally different, so i dont think being able to ask one justifies being able to ask another.</p>
<p>Hunt: I see your sagacity in your last two posts here. I concur with your reasoning and your examples. Van Sant: I think the question is not at issue but rather our suspicions that the act of questioning belies homophobia.</p>
<p>Let’s say a Puero Rican kid from NYC were considering a HBC. Couldn’t she ask if there are other non-blacks at the target school and how inviting the campus community is to non-blacks?</p>
<p>Van Sant: would you then propose that the OP never investigate because the *question *is inherently bigoted in some way? I don’t think it does.</p>
<p>A person who can hear might wonder what it would be like to go to Gallaudet.</p>
<p>i propose nothing. i do think that it was fine for the poster to ask his/ her question though. however, i do not agree with some of the justifications here.</p>
<p>Yale has only fairly recently developed a reputation as gay-friendly. That may (or may not) have produced a modest uptick in the percentage of gay students, but the great majority of students, both male and female, are not gay. For most of its history, Yale’s students were basically white and male. There were no doubt always gays among them, but being “out” would have been rare and difficult. In the last few decades, Yale has become much more diverse and accepting of diversity – adding women, much more ethnic diversity, more international students, etc. What Yalies mostly have in common is that they are very talented and productive, and will mostly have very successful and productive lives. Your straight son will do fine and will find a number of classmates who share his interests and perspectives.</p>
<p>Although Yale has a relatively large gay population and is considered very tolerant towards homosexuals, high estimates place Yale’s homosexual population at under 25% (which, although fairly high, is clearly not a majority, and numbers actually range from 15-25%)</p>
<p>Off topic, but:</p>
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<p>If I get in and end up going to Yale, you have got to introduce us Bay =]</p>
<p>“fairly recently” – Yes, in geological time. But 35-40 years ago, Yale had the reputation of being the most gay-friendly Ivy. Not as many people were fully out, but lots of gays were very comfortably “in”.</p>
<p>The burgeoning of yale’s queer community was something that happened in the mid to late eighties and nineties. I know this from meeting lots and lots of lgbt yale alumni. </p>
<p>Not to say that there isn’t a long history of gay people and subcultures at yale, going back for a very long time (there is, and it’s fascinating!).</p>