any LGBT dental students out there?

[dentalboy]

Hey guys-

I am a pre-dental student currently in the process of applying to dental schools...and I'm gay! I was wondering if any of you current dental students here on SDN are gay (or lgbt) because I have several questions for you:

1) what are some queer-friendly schools? how accepting is your school?
2) what factors did you consider when choosing a school (besides the usual ones of course)
3) do you know of any queer-dental groups out there (I think I know of one at Tufts, but I'm not sure..)

If you're not queer and have a comment or two about anything queer at your dental school..definitely reply! Feel free to PM on this one as well! Thanks!

-dentalboy

 

[Bonkers29]

Hey guys-

I am a pre-dental student currently in the process of applying to dental schools...and I'm gay! I was wondering if any of you current dental students here on SDN are gay (or lgbt) because I have several questions for you:

1) what are some queer-friendly schools? how accepting is your school?
2) what factors did you consider when choosing a school (besides the usual ones of course)
3) do you know of any queer-dental groups out there (I think I know of one at Tufts, but I'm not sure..)

If you're not queer and have a comment or two about anything queer at your dental school..definitely reply! Feel free to PM on this one as well! Thanks!

-dentalboy

hey it's been like a year since you made this post.. just wondering as to whether you've found the right school for you yet? or answers to any of those questions you asked......

 

[gsrthomas]

hey it's been like a year since you made this post.. just wondering as to whether you've found the right school for you yet? or answers to any of those questions you asked......

I doubt he follows this thread after a year since he posted it.

You might have a better chance to PM him directly and ask.

 

[L8DYV]

Does LGBT mean, lesbian gay bisexual and transexual?

 

[superchris147]

Hey guys-

I am a pre-dental student currently in the process of applying to dental schools...and I'm gay! I was wondering if any of you current dental students here on SDN are gay (or lgbt) because I have several questions for you:

1) what are some queer-friendly schools? how accepting is your school?
2) what factors did you consider when choosing a school (besides the usual ones of course)
3) do you know of any queer-dental groups out there (I think I know of one at Tufts, but I'm not sure..)

If you're not queer and have a comment or two about anything queer at your dental school..definitely reply! Feel free to PM on this one as well! Thanks!

-dentalboy

i'm not trying to be insensitive but if you are basing your decision of where to go based on things like romance or where the most gay people are, i think that is stupid. personally i think you should be basing your decision on where you think you would get the best training/education

 

[L8DYV]

i'm not trying to be insensitive but if you are basing your decision of where to go based on things like romance or where the most gay people are, i think that is stupid. personally i think you should be basing your decision on where you think you would get the best training/education

I agree.

 

[Bonkers29]

i'm not trying to be insensitive but if you are basing your decision of where to go based on things like romance or where the most gay people are, i think that is stupid. personally i think you should be basing your decision on where you think you would get the best training/education

i dont think its about 'romance'.. i believe its more like being accepted where you are.. and being comfortable with your surroundings for the next 4 years.

(and LGBT means "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender")

 

[fightingspirit]

Hey guys-

I am a pre-dental student currently in the process of applying to dental schools...and I'm gay! I was wondering if any of you current dental students here on SDN are gay (or lgbt) because I have several questions for you:

1) what are some queer-friendly schools? how accepting is your school?
2) what factors did you consider when choosing a school (besides the usual ones of course)
3) do you know of any queer-dental groups out there (I think I know of one at Tufts, but I'm not sure..)

If you're not queer and have a comment or two about anything queer at your dental school..definitely reply! Feel free to PM on this one as well! Thanks!

-dentalboy

denatlboy. there are gays in this website and there are gays in d-school. not sure if there are transgendered or transsexuals though...that would be a bit too extreme for most people's taste, including patients. you do not need to advertise your sexual orientation because it is a personnal matter. you will hardly see a post saying "i am str8". the number of gays in d-schools is very small because the proportion of gays in the general population is small. the presence, scarcity, abundance and absence of gays in a particular d-school should not be important to you; people say "you should not s-h-i-t where you eat"...it's not like you're goin to d-school to hook up.

IMHO, 2 factors are more importnt than whether or not there are gays in a certain school:

1-is the atmosphere con or lib?
2-where is the school located?

question 1 becomes irrelevant because in all d-schools, most of the faculty and students are going to be conservative and kinda old-fashioned, even more so than med-school. there will be a whol elot of mormons, married men who have young kids and who are parnoid about every sexual issue because of the fear and care for their kids, family oriented men who come from traditional families of dentists....etc

question 2 is a factor:you do not wanna be in alabama, tennessee or loma linda. the funny thing is that you will find gays almost everywhere, including alabama. still some areas are way more gay friendly and have more gays then others (New York, including ong island, massachusets, california..etc)

when you go to d-school, you will realize tht there will be situations in which you 'd need to reveal your sexual orientation. you may do so and be true to everyone. hiding one's sexuality or pretending to be str8 makes one looks pathetic and inconfident and tht turns people off. it seems that conservatives and even many liberals tend to have a dislike for f-a-g-e-s (fairies, sissies, queens and big girls) not gays. if you're just a normal gay man who respects others and keeps the dirty laundry out of sight, then you wont have any problems. being likeable and popular is about personality and poise, not what you do within the confines of your bedroom. also, the gay club at tufts is not an option. imagine what you'd look like if you're interested in a specialtly like ortho or oral surgery; you submit your application and under the extracurricular activities, the resident sees president of the LGBT dental club...veeery uncool....that's it....you're history.....

just be cool and decent.... you'll be fine.

 

[alphabet]

the previous post has got to be one of the biggest slaps to the LGBT community, disguised as a caring, understanding LGBT-friendly post.

"veeery uncool....that's it....you're history.....

just be cool and decent.... you'll be fine. "

Being LGBT in public is uncool? So the original poster should not hold hands or kiss good bye with their significant other on the way to dental school? God forbid, one of the faculty members could catch him/her commiting the crime while looking out his office window.

Why is it ok for a straight person to display public affection? By doing so, isn't the straight person making a public statement to patients, fellow students and faculty that he/she is straight-and thus hinting at what he/she does in the bedroom?

Btw, could we please include Queers and Allies in the definition of LGBT. Personally I'm straight, but I encourage love and affection in any form and would like to be considered part of the LGBT-friendly community.

 

[Trookie]

PDA, whether between gay or straight couples, is tacky in my opinion.

 

[fightingspirit]

Being LGBT in public is uncool? So the original poster should not hold hands or kiss good bye with their significant other on the way to dental school? God forbid, one of the faculty members could catch him/her commiting the crime while looking out his office window.

Why is it ok for a straight person to display public affection? By doing so, isn't the straight person making a public statement to patients, fellow students and faculty that he/she is straight-and thus hinting at what he/she does in the bedroom?
.

lol....where in my post did i suggest that being gay in public is uncool? therefore, your argument has a weak base. as far as PDA, i did not mention tht in my post either. PDA is cool in the right time and place.

" Why is it ok for a straight person to display public affection? By doing so.....etc"....well, we happen to live in a str8 society, and therefore patients and fellow students are most likely going to be str8. life is not fair and one has to recognize the majority.

 

[howui3]

can't we all just get a bong...uuuh..i mean...along.

 

[OMFSCardsFan]

lol....where in my post did i suggest that being gay in public is uncool? therefore, your argument has a weak base. as far as PDA, i did not mention tht in my post either. PDA is cool in the right time and place.

" Why is it ok for a straight person to display public affection? By doing so.....etc"....well, we happen to live in a str8 society, and therefore patients and fellow students are most likely going to be str8. life is not fair and one has to recognize the majority.

I have now officially decided that I will be happy when OMFS doesn't work out for you. There hasn't been someone with your lack of intelligence and perspective posting on here in a long time. Your posts are what everyone here would expect from someone in junior high--immature. They do not contain anything worthwhile, and we are all dumber for having read them. There is not a person here that has read any of your posts and would like to see you in his/her dental school class.

Is this when you respond by making excuses because you are a foreign immigrant? I'd love to hear what some other immigrants have to say about your comments in other threads. I have several friends that have gone through the same things that you've reported dealing with, and they would be embarrassed to be associated with you. If anything, from what they've experienced, they have become more compassionate, open-minded, hard-working, and respectable. You, on the other hand, will without a doubt be "that guy" in your class that everyone thinks will end up having his license revoked.

Take a poll, ask how many people would want to call you a colleague. With every successive post, everyone here loses more respect for you. Keep up the good work. I hope you're still around here in a year, when you're finishing your first year of dental school. I'll be interested to see how the dice roll...

 

[Sprgrover]

This is a good discussion and I don't want to have to close it down due to it degrading into namecalling and other what-not's so please keep it civil and on topic.

To the OP: While dental schools on the whole tend to be conservative it's not as dire as others might make you believe. For example sexuality is not an issue at Penn and the school is surprisingly liberal and accepting on a wide range of issues. When looking for schools I would examine ones that are coastal and metropolitian (e.g. in areas that, as a whole, tend to be more tolerant and understanding). Best of luck!

 

[fightingspirit]

I have now officially decided that I will be happy when OMFS doesn't work out for you. There hasn't been someone with your lack of intelligence and perspective posting on here in a long time. Your posts are what everyone here would expect from someone in junior high--immature. They do not contain anything worthwhile, and we are all dumber for having read them. There is not a person here that has read any of your posts and would like to see you in his/her dental school class.

Is this when you respond by making excuses because you are a foreign immigrant? I'd love to hear what some other immigrants have to say about your comments in other threads. I have several friends that have gone through the same things that you've reported dealing with, and they would be embarrassed to be associated with you. If anything, from what they've experienced, they have become more compassionate, open-minded, hard-working, and respectable. You, on the other hand, will without a doubt be "that guy" in your class that everyone thinks will end up having his license revoked.

Take a poll, ask how many people would want to call you a colleague. With every successive post, everyone here loses more respect for you. Keep up the good work. I hope you're still around here in a year, when you're finishing your first year of dental school. I'll be interested to see how the dice roll...

 

[HermeytheElf]

can't we all just get a bong...uuuh..i mean...along.

Now this man knows how to settle an arguement.

 

[fightingspirit]

i intended to provide useful advice. the effect was that i offended some people. therefore, i apologize to those who have been offended by misinterpreting my remarks.

 

[FCIllini]

there will be situations in which you 'd need to reveal your sexual orientation.

What dental school are you currently attending? I honestly can't think of a single situation where this would come up - do dental schools have proms?

I think most people are having trouble with your posts because you continue to make so many assumptions & very broad remarks and yet, have no factual evidence to back them up.

My suggestion ... if you've never spent one single day in dental school, don't try to give dental school advice. I'm not trying to be rude here, just a friendly suggestion.

And I've got to say - from reading your most recent posts, my favorite statement has to be, "BUT sometimes, you find yourself in a position that forces you to actually speak your mind about the issues and your liberal opinions get exposed, putting you in an embarrassing situation" ... huh ... funny.

 

[lgreen_aci]

Dental boy,

We are all human beings. I am straight. You are gay. So what. I don't care. That has no influence on how I see you as a person.

I think it is important though to keep in mind that as part of others accepting you as gay, you are going to have to accept that their is not always going to be special treatment available for you just because you are gay.

It is kind of interesting to think about this in terms of discrimination, racism, etc. overall. It is almost like there is three groups within descrimination, racism, prejudice, etc. Those who don't want to be rejected, those who want to be normal, and those who want special attention. I think it is hard for one to be normal when faced with rejection, but also on the opposite end, hard for one to be treated normal, when one demands attention.

Basically I think you could be fooling yourself if you think that you are going to be more accepted at a school just because they have more gay people, or less accepted at a school that has no gay people. Also there are so many other factors that will play in.

I think you could go to a totally anti-gay school and the people may really really like you, but you could also go to a pro-gay school and the people could really really not like you.

My basic point is you shouldn't put so much weight into the fact that you are gay. Do what you want to do. In this context, what is important is your dental education. That is what you should be worried about and putting your weight into. Pick a school that is going to make you the dentist you want to be. There are going to be people who accept you and reject you no matter where you go and whether you are gay or straight.

That didn't directly answer your questions, but maybe it will still be helpful.

Also it is silly to say that their is one particular school or geographic area that is going to be more accepting/rejecting than another. You are going to face rejection and acceptance no matter where you go.

Also remember that to be accepted as gay, you don't have to be around just gay people. There are plenty of straight people, like me, who could care less if you are gay or not.

Sorry, it is not my place to be responding in the dental thread either, as I have not stepped a day in dental school, but I felt what I had to say applies to any situation, not just dental school.

 

[gryffindor]

What dental school are you currently attending? I honestly can't think of a single situation where this would come up - do dental schools have proms?

They do - it's just not called the prom. We had some "dental school formal" that was always near Valentine's day and all couple-y and felt very prom-like except the alcohol was legit this time. In fact, one year the dental school formal was held in the same place my high school prom was - felt like de ja vu.

 

[crazy_sherm]

Dental boy,

We are all human beings. I am straight. You are gay. So what. I don't care. That has no influence on how I see you as a person.

I think it is important though to keep in mind that as part of others accepting you as gay, you are going to have to accept that their is not always going to be special treatment available for you just because you are gay.

It is kind of interesting to think about this in terms of discrimination, racism, etc. overall. It is almost like there is three groups within descrimination, racism, prejudice, etc. Those who don't want to be rejected, those who want to be normal, and those who want special attention. I think it is hard for one to be normal when faced with rejection, but also on the opposite end, hard for one to be treated normal, when one demands attention.

Basically I think you could be fooling yourself if you think that you are going to be more accepted at a school just because they have more gay people, or less accepted at a school that has no gay people. Also there are so many other factors that will play in.

I think you could go to a totally anti-gay school and the people may really really like you, but you could also go to a pro-gay school and the people could really really not like you.

My basic point is you shouldn't put so much weight into the fact that you are gay. Do what you want to do. In this context, what is important is your dental education. That is what you should be worried about and putting your weight into. Pick a school that is going to make you the dentist you want to be. There are going to be people who accept you and reject you no matter where you go and whether you are gay or straight.

That didn't directly answer your questions, but maybe it will still be helpful.

Also it is silly to say that their is one particular school or geographic area that is going to be more accepting/rejecting than another. You are going to face rejection and acceptance no matter where you go.

Also remember that to be accepted as gay, you don't have to be around just gay people. There are plenty of straight people, like me, who could care less if you are gay or not.

Sorry, it is not my place to be responding in the dental thread either, as I have not stepped a day in dental school, but I felt what I had to say applies to any situation, not just dental school.

Just because you may not feel it's a big deal to be gay, doesn't mean that the OP has to feel the same way. Since he/she had started the thread, it must be a concern for them. We don't know anything about the person. Maybe he/she isn't out to his/her parents, maybe they tried to come out and got kicked out of the house, maybe they've been picked on and beat up their whole life because of their sexual orientation, etc. Whatever the person's past, I doubt he/she needs to have a lecture on what discrimination or prejudice is. I'm quite sure they understand it well.

I don't think the OP is asking about getting special treatment for being gay. There has always been a LGBT support group at every school I've been to since middle school. Noone ever felt like the school was going out of their way to give special treatment to gay students or hold their hand through school. It was about providing a safe environment for students with feelings about homosexuality to speak to faculty who might have gone through similar experiences.

Would you tell a black applicant to not bother with Meharry or Howard because there's no point? You'll be discriminated against no matter what? What if a clinically depressed applicant wanted to know if there was some sort of psych support at a dental school? Would you tell them to take a Prozac and suck it up?

Unless you're gay, it's quite insensitive to tell someone how important their sexual orientation should be to them. And even if you are gay, you don't know this person and can't determine how much value they put on homosexuality as part of their identity.

 

[lgreen_aci]

We'll it surely appears you misunderstood some things I said, blew others out of proportion (as demonstrated by your hypothetical arguments), and some of your comments misrepresent what I meant, but whatever, cheers to us being able to express our own opinions.

Hey, I'm just saying there are going to be gay people at every school, people who don't care if you are gay at every school, and people who make it their life work to harrass you for being gay at every school. You can't candy coat it, it's just the truth. All I am saying is don't worry so much. I'm not saying you should just give in and not be yourself or that it shouldn't be imporant to you, what I'm getting at is that I think he/she will fit in anywhere as long as they are themself.

And it's not just being gay, it could be anything...being a little chubby, having pink hair, being a gothic dentist, or looking like conan o'brien.

"There has always been a LGBT support group at every school I've been to since middle school."

So therefore there is a LGBT support group at every school? The first time I have seen one was not until the undergrad college level. It would be silly to assume there is always going to be a support group everywhere you go to school or work.

"Would you tell a black applicant to not bother with Meharry or Howard because there's no point? You'll be discriminated against no matter what? What if a clinically depressed applicant wanted to know if there was some sort of psych support at a dental school? Would you tell them to take a Prozac and suck it up?"

Those examples don't represent what I said at all. I said he/she could be accepted or rejected socially nomatter where you go. So I don't know how you only managed to see and comment on the "rejected" part of what I said.

"Unless you're gay, it's quite insensitive to tell someone how important their sexual orientation should be to them. And even if you are gay, you don't know this person and can't determine how much value they put on homosexuality as part of their identity."

Again, I am only saying it's not that big of a deal that he/she is gay. That doesn't mean it should be anymore or less important to them.

anyways...

 

[fightingspirit]

They do - it's just not called the prom. We had some "dental school formal" that was always near Valentine's day and all couple-y and felt very prom-like except the alcohol was legit this time. In fact, one year the dental school formal was held in the same place my high school prom was - felt like de ja vu.

thank you...i was just about to think that SDNers decided collectively to keep questioning every post i make. ..

not just formals but also socials and some house parties that a student may throw...basically, in any downtime where people are havin fun or gettin tipsy, you will be in a situation that would perhaps make it clear that you're gay or str8. the post you replied to is not the first one to question my statements. it's been kinda crazy around here...

 

[OMFSCardsFan]

i was just about to think that SDNers decided collectively to keep questioning every post i make.

I think it'd be more accurate to say that we've each, individually, come to the same conclusion regarding them. At least you're beginning to realize it...

 

[OMFSCardsFan]

Hey guys-

I am a pre-dental student currently in the process of applying to dental schools...and I'm gay! I was wondering if any of you current dental students here on SDN are gay (or lgbt) because I have several questions for you:

1) what are some queer-friendly schools? how accepting is your school?
2) what factors did you consider when choosing a school (besides the usual ones of course)
3) do you know of any queer-dental groups out there (I think I know of one at Tufts, but I'm not sure..)

If you're not queer and have a comment or two about anything queer at your dental school..definitely reply! Feel free to PM on this one as well! Thanks!

-dentalboy

Sorry that I never addressed your initial question...

I went to Marquette. While I was there, there were several openly gay students, although none were in my class. I didn't know them very well, because they weren't in my class. They did, however, attend social situations just like everyone else, and they brought their significant others. No one made it an issue. I think this is what lgreen was trying to say. The undergraduate part of Marquette, despite it's Jesuit connections, has a very outspoken LGBT group that I'm sure you could become involved with, if that's what you are looking for.

I'm not sure if you're asking about being accepted as a person (not being discriminated against), or if you're asking if there will be opportunities specifically tailored to LGBT. I'm not sure if that really makes sense. Hope that helps...

 

[Rube]

Hey guys-

I am a pre-dental student currently in the process of applying to dental schools...and I'm gay! I was wondering if any of you current dental students here on SDN are gay (or lgbt) because I have several questions for you:

1) what are some queer-friendly schools? how accepting is your school?
2) what factors did you consider when choosing a school (besides the usual ones of course)
3) do you know of any queer-dental groups out there (I think I know of one at Tufts, but I'm not sure..)

If you're not queer and have a comment or two about anything queer at your dental school..definitely reply! Feel free to PM on this one as well! Thanks!

-dentalboy

dentalboy,

I am straight. You are gay. Big deal. So what I say? Its not going to affect how I see you as a person or classmate-eeexcept for this vision I just had of you taking it up the rear-- But besides that,---no wait I just had a vision of you swallowing a meat missle in clinic. Actually, nevermind about the first part, in truth I will always see you as different no matter what you are doing, from now on you'll be a complete homo and its your fault for bringing it up. Still it doesn't really matter when it comes to dental school. We're all in the same boat, its just that your boat is full of queers and you're doing ungodly things on your boat.

Thankfully, dentistry has nothing to do with our sex lives so I'm sure you'll be fine. If you came to my school I'd be happy to welcome you as a classmate. but not in a gay way.

Rube

 

[lgreen_aci]

This thread needs to be closed.

Clearly there are more children posting than mature adults.

 

[aphistis]

This thread needs to be closed.

Clearly there are more children posting than mature adults.

Agreed. Apparently some folks here didn't get the memo that we're all supposed to be adults.

Closing (as we all knew was inevitable, we just didn't know how long it would take).