The "Gay Ivy?" Out and about at Yale

Many queer Yalies have memories of being the only gay person in their high school, while others have never been allowed to admit to being queer due to fear of discrimination. At Yale, being queer is not as difficult—you can and will meet queer people in everything you do, whether you sing, act, write, play sports, volunteer through Dwight Hall, or just lounge around and party. This openness about queer people is part of what defines Yale, dubbed the "Gay Ivy" by Rolling Stone in the early `90s. While Yale does have its fair share of students who aren't completely accepting of their gay peers, on the whole you can be out very comfortably at Yale.

The main organization on campus for queer students is the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Cooperative, more commonly known as the LGBT Co-op. The Co-op is an umbrella organization for most of the queer groups on campus, organizing activities from daily discussion groups to widely popular dances and major celebrations held throughout the year.

The discussion groups are the heart of the Co-op. While some meet weekly, others merely schedule special events. Though each group addresses specific issues, they are all open to anyone, no matter how they identify. A general Co-op membership meeting occurs once a week where the Co-op board and members plan activities, hold discussions, and host guest speakers.

PRISM is a group for queer people of color that meets weekly. This spring, PRISM will host a Queer People of Color conference, featuring well-known speakers, workshops and panels. Other discussion groups include GaYalies (gay and bi men), Biways (bisexuality and sexual fluidity), YaLesbians (lesbians and bi women), and Gender F**kers (transpeople and allies). Outside of the Co-op umbrella, the Queer-Straight Alliance (QSA) encourages allies of all sexual persuasions and works on educational activism.

Not-Straight Frosh is a group run specifically by and for freshman. In the past, the group has organized weekly meetings, parties and assorted activities. This year, it held study breaks and hosted a queer film festival over reading week. It is a great way to meet other queer freshmen and discuss the challenges of adjusting to Yale.

The Co-op is perhaps best known for the dances it holds several times a year. These are widely considered the best dances on campus, and invariably draw huge crowds. Though the dances are not specifically gay-themed, the Co-op's events for Coming Out Day in October and Pride Week in April work to educate and challenge the Yale community, as well as to celebrate the richness of queer life. This year's Coming Out Day featured a panel on the coming out process and a concert by Rent actor Anthony Rapp. Pride Week this year featured the premiere of a new play by noted transgender performance artist Kate Bornstein, the screening of the Sundance-award-winning documentary Scout's Honor and a forum with the director, and panels on being out in business, athletics, and academia, as well as on being queer in an Asian-American community.

Although the past year was dynamic, the Co-op continues to struggle with many issues that affect the queer community. There is an ongoing discussion about issues of race and ethnicity in the Co-op as well as the queer community as a whole.

There is also plenty of gay life on campus outside of the Co-op. Part of what is great about being queer at Yale is that people express their sexuality not just in meetings and support groups, but wherever they are. Most queer Yalies have probably never even set foot in a Co-op meeting (except perhaps the first one of the year), and feel comfortable being out at Yale without a pre existing support network or engagement in LGBT activism.

The academic world also provides a number of opportunities for exploring LGBT identities and perspectives, open to people of any sexuality. The newly-established Larry Kramer Initiative for Lesbian and Gay Studies will be funding classes and lectures on campus. The Women and Gender Studies major offers an LBGT studies track for those who wish to pursue the field in more depth. The intro class, W&GS 296a, commonly called the "Gay Class," taught by a different visiting professor every year, always offers insight into the categories of "gay" and "straight" bound to shatter some stereotypes.

Back to After Hours...