after browsing through the dating post, I all of sudden realize... ... I need to take this factor into account. any one wants to share their experience/thoughts etc?
LGBT friendly programs and location
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My impression is that many (if not most) are. I think the list of unfriendly programs would be shorter, no data to support that, but that's my impression.
I guess the first question is what makes a program LGBT friendly?
Mark
I guess the first question is what makes a program LGBT friendly?
Mark
i agree with mark's impression and also think itwould help if you could clarify a little bit what you're looking for.
are you looking to study LGBT issues or work with LGBT populations? program faculty with those stated interests would be a sure sign of "friendliness".
other than that, i know the SF bay area (and think that cali as a whole) is LGBT friendly and also has internship opportunities to work with LGBT populations.
best of luck!
are you looking to study LGBT issues or work with LGBT populations? program faculty with those stated interests would be a sure sign of "friendliness".
other than that, i know the SF bay area (and think that cali as a whole) is LGBT friendly and also has internship opportunities to work with LGBT populations.
best of luck!
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I agree that most programs are likely LGBT-friendly; however, certainly, there are some geographic areas which are more friendly than others. It's important to know that although you will spend a lot time on campus, you still will live within a larger community, and the attitudes espoused by said community can make life more or less stressful for a LGBT person.
When you interview, this is definitely a question you should ask faculty or current students. You can ask what is the university's environment regarding lgbt issues or maybe if there are any support groups or even support from faculty from different departments.
As far as living situations, you can ask the currents students too. Faculty and students are going to be honest with their answers, so don't hesitate to ask.
As far as living situations, you can ask the currents students too. Faculty and students are going to be honest with their answers, so don't hesitate to ask.
Oh also I'd like to add not just the university but also the community/city/or state. They could be different.....also based on my own personal experience.
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But be careful not to write off entire regions. I'm in an LGBT-friendly location in the South (PM me if you want more info). And if memory serves, JockNerd, aren't you in the South also??
So yeah, VERY location specific, ask about it at your interviews.
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My comment was more in regard to urban v. rural areas as opposed to northeast v. south. But I agree that it's unwise to generalize such a large swath of area.
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Yeah, I'm in the south and I've had positive experiences.
You're in multiple systems. you have:
The country
The region
The state
The city
The university
The department
The program & adjucts (e.g., practicums)
Your lab
Your peers
Your adviser
You can encounter heterosexist discrimination at any of those levels. "I'm a homophobe" isn't something advisers put on their CVs, so others are right that this is a question to ask people in the program. You can ask training directors to put you in contact with out LGBT folks in the program to ask about their experiences.
You're in multiple systems. you have:
The country
The region
The state
The city
The university
The department
The program & adjucts (e.g., practicums)
Your lab
Your peers
Your adviser
You can encounter heterosexist discrimination at any of those levels. "I'm a homophobe" isn't something advisers put on their CVs, so others are right that this is a question to ask people in the program. You can ask training directors to put you in contact with out LGBT folks in the program to ask about their experiences.
thanks markp. I hope programs will be supportive in terms of research interests (professional level) and the area I live (hopefully) will be lgbt friendly (social/personal level).
found this one. might be most helpful if you're on the L side of LGBT
http://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/6569-lesbian-life-in-various-places-recommendations-warnings/
this is the first slow day ive had in 6 months. it feels strangely twilight zone. 🙂
http://forum.thegradcafe.com/topic/6569-lesbian-life-in-various-places-recommendations-warnings/
this is the first slow day ive had in 6 months. it feels strangely twilight zone. 🙂
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There are a couple of well published faculty members in the counseling psychology program at Western Michigan University in the area of LGBT research.
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Oklahoma State University's counseling psych program is very LGBT friendly, has several major LGBT focused lines of research, and has a nice social justice orientation.
Ummm....the program yes, Stillwater, OK, not much......
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Hey,
I think that it depends on what you mean by LGBT friendly programs, while most program are open to LGBT students and faculty NOT all programs have a history of supporting research on topics in LGBT Psychology. That is actually my area of interest, If anyone wants more information, PM me and I would be more than happy to share a list of programs I've looked into and applied to that tend to support such research.
I think that it depends on what you mean by LGBT friendly programs, while most program are open to LGBT students and faculty NOT all programs have a history of supporting research on topics in LGBT Psychology. That is actually my area of interest, If anyone wants more information, PM me and I would be more than happy to share a list of programs I've looked into and applied to that tend to support such research.
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Too bad this topic doesn't have its own thread. I agree with JockNerd, that it'd be naive to believe psych PhD programs are "by and large LGBT-friendly."
I'll add to this list what I've learned about: the CUNY clinical psych program at City College (CCNY). Any LGBTQ applicant considering an investment in at least 6 years of their life ought to have access to information about where they're applying.
The program was founded in the late 1960s. Its theoretical approach was significantly shaped by the then-dominant psychoanalytic principles espoused by early ego psychologists. That group of psychoanalysts MIS-interperted Freud and instead by and large pathologized homosexuality, as well as any identities that transgressed the ruling regulating systems' constricted ideas of gender, femininity, and masculinity. Maybe this history of the theories explains some of the institutionalized homo-, trans, and bi-phobia that exists within the program.
As of summer 2014, the program director, although most people agree is a great professor, sadly seems to have the worst record among the faculty on queer and trans issues. In 2011, he spoke the anti-gay slur "c--k-sucker" during a class lecture -- as a "teaching moment" no less! (The then-director of the program was informed but took no action.)
The same faculty member has a published article describing so-called "boyhood femininity" as explained by these boys' "psychopathology"--as if there is anything wrong with a boy being feminine (or a girl who is "masculine"), considering these ideas of gender are merely social constructs. The analyst/psychiatrist Drescher has written that a disdain for femininity in males often barely obscures the person's underlying homophobia,
In 2013, one of the same program's most celebrated faculty spoke at a regularly scheduled open meeting attended by faculty, staff, and students. He announced that he didn't feel LGBTQ applicants, current or past clinical students were subject to any unconscious bi-, homo-, or transphobia. He argued that "all LGBTQ students" attend prestigious universities (!) and aren't subject to any discrimination. Sadly, he seemed unaware that he was acting out his own trans-, bi-, and homo-phobic feelings.
Nothing came of this, he was not required to attend any training about LGBTQ issues, or anything like that.
So, if you identity along the lgbtq spectrum, it might behoove you to know this and how attending it would be like stepping back in time. There ARE LGBT-friendly, program faculty but the overall atmosphere can feel stifling to LGBTQ'ers who travel in social and work circles where one's gender or sexual identity isn't subject to suffocation.
I'll add to this list what I've learned about: the CUNY clinical psych program at City College (CCNY). Any LGBTQ applicant considering an investment in at least 6 years of their life ought to have access to information about where they're applying.
The program was founded in the late 1960s. Its theoretical approach was significantly shaped by the then-dominant psychoanalytic principles espoused by early ego psychologists. That group of psychoanalysts MIS-interperted Freud and instead by and large pathologized homosexuality, as well as any identities that transgressed the ruling regulating systems' constricted ideas of gender, femininity, and masculinity. Maybe this history of the theories explains some of the institutionalized homo-, trans, and bi-phobia that exists within the program.
As of summer 2014, the program director, although most people agree is a great professor, sadly seems to have the worst record among the faculty on queer and trans issues. In 2011, he spoke the anti-gay slur "c--k-sucker" during a class lecture -- as a "teaching moment" no less! (The then-director of the program was informed but took no action.)
The same faculty member has a published article describing so-called "boyhood femininity" as explained by these boys' "psychopathology"--as if there is anything wrong with a boy being feminine (or a girl who is "masculine"), considering these ideas of gender are merely social constructs. The analyst/psychiatrist Drescher has written that a disdain for femininity in males often barely obscures the person's underlying homophobia,
In 2013, one of the same program's most celebrated faculty spoke at a regularly scheduled open meeting attended by faculty, staff, and students. He announced that he didn't feel LGBTQ applicants, current or past clinical students were subject to any unconscious bi-, homo-, or transphobia. He argued that "all LGBTQ students" attend prestigious universities (!) and aren't subject to any discrimination. Sadly, he seemed unaware that he was acting out his own trans-, bi-, and homo-phobic feelings.
Nothing came of this, he was not required to attend any training about LGBTQ issues, or anything like that.
So, if you identity along the lgbtq spectrum, it might behoove you to know this and how attending it would be like stepping back in time. There ARE LGBT-friendly, program faculty but the overall atmosphere can feel stifling to LGBTQ'ers who travel in social and work circles where one's gender or sexual identity isn't subject to suffocation.
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I'm really glad CCNY isn't on my radar right now...
I'm kind of the opposite of the OP. I don't need much of a social scene, I just want to feel safe taking my girlfriend out and comfortable in my own program. Any advice on finding out if programs and areas are LGBT friendly? If I'm asking current students, how should I go about broaching the subject? I live in a highly conservative small town so I tend to be very hesitant to raise the subject with anyone I don't know.
I'm kind of the opposite of the OP. I don't need much of a social scene, I just want to feel safe taking my girlfriend out and comfortable in my own program. Any advice on finding out if programs and areas are LGBT friendly? If I'm asking current students, how should I go about broaching the subject? I live in a highly conservative small town so I tend to be very hesitant to raise the subject with anyone I don't know.
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I mean the world of academia as a whole is lgbt friendly. The higher education community as a whole is more liberal and that's probably especially true in the world of psychology. As far as locations, the northeast in general is probably a pretty safe bet. Look for places where gay marriage is legal. They are probably more lgbt friendly I would presume.
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I don't think that's true at all. When I was chair of APAGS-CLGBTC I worked with a lot of students with serious concerns about their programs.
@Rose Tyler --if you're comfortable with asking it, it's a super normal question to just ask of grad students.
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Oh, also we had made this to help out with that:
http://www.apa.org/apags/resources/clgbt-climate-guide.pdf
I would not describe the world of academia as LGBT friendly on the whole (some of it is quite conservative), and many people who think they are liberal and supportive have no idea of how ****ty they sometimes are to LGBT friends/colleagues/students of theirs and how not-supportive their politics and beliefs are. Psychology is not sociology or women's studies, it's not a far left discipline and you can't bet on it being OK everywhere.
Also, location doesn't guarantee much. I attended an interview in "the northeast" at what I thought was my top choice program, but it turned out at the interview to be a fantastically awful and unaccepting environment, both the town the university was in and the program itself. I am in a program now in what some might call "a midwestern town" but the town itself is far more LGBT friendly/positive/active than most of the places in the northeast where I've lived (and the program is also extremely supportive). And as the description of CUNY above demonstrates, even if your particular locale is friendly, that doesn't mean the program is.
My advice to all LGBT students who have these concerns: ask questions on the interview! It quickly became apparent to me which were accepting and which were not, and nobody thought it an odd question to ask.
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Well of course there are going to be outliers everywhere, but I stand by my statements. I have found the world of academia to be very lgbt friendly in my experience and i have found psychology to be particularly accepting as compared to certain other disciplines. I don't find it to be conservative at all. And I wasn't speaking of specific schools, I was just saying on the whole, just so that the OP has some idea of where to possibly start the search. But of course you always want to ask the programs you are applying to if it is of concern.
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Utah's counseling psych program is LGBT-affirming (Sue Morrow is there; I don't know anyone in their clinical program so I couldn't speak to that). The state might not be ideal in general, of course.
This is the type of bad "by area" advice I am talking about. SLC is a very comfortable place to be gay imho, and University of Utah's clinical program has several people working on sexuality, including some top notch researchers specifically working on LGBT issues.
YMMV I guess. I find psychology less accepting than the rest of the social sciences and most of the humanities, but it probably depends on university culture a bit. I absolutely think it is a bad idea to think in terms of broad regional generalizations though. I hear there may be some counseling psychology programs with LGBT researchers even in Texas 😉
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I think I would agree in general with this statement. However, I have noticed some "reservations" with some of my colleagues towards LGBT people, granted I am in a neuroscience environment with a lot of students in the psychological sciences graduate program. It really did stump me, luckily I have a mentor who is not only a board certified neuropsychologist but very liberal. I have noticed in our office get-togethers that others will talk about their families, spouses, etc. and I just jump right on in, I will add my experiences, stories about me and my spouse. The way I look at it, if they have a problem with that, not my problem. If it becomes an "issue," then perhaps it wont be the best environment/ fit for me to be in. Personally, I am a hard-ass when it comes to my fellow LGBT people.
To the OP:
As you gather "insight" from fellow posters, I would interject to say that if your sexual orientation is important to you and you use it as a primary identifier (as some use their profession, race, ethnicity, etc.), then you should consider what impact each program has on you in terms of being neutral, more conservative, more liberal. Some programs (like TWU) really boast about their commitment to the LGBT cause and identity of its students in context to their development as a future psychologist. TWU is a very liberal school, it lies next to UNT, which is very very liberal/hippie 😛. Personally, programs like this appeal to me, other programs may be on the more reserved end. Funny enough, we gays really do range in our identity (not one gay is alike!), Variations do exist on this element, so happy hunting!
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Does "LGTB friendly" refer to the geographic area, the town and local cultural/social events, or the academic program/department itself? There is some good research going on in this town and there is one University I think of with a high percentage of homosexual students, but I probably wouldn't say this area itself is known specifically for being tolerant, at least historically
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I'm guessing you are not gay and do not live in SLC. Glad to know you assert it's a comfortable place for gays. I'm sure their pride festival is epic.
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Why are you guessing this person is not gay?
Swing and a miss. I'm an openly gay male, I've posted about it here before. I have several gay friends who live in and love SLC, and I've visited many, many times.
Some statistics for ya:
http://www.visitsaltlake.com/visitors/about-salt-lake-diversity-glbt/
Highest rate of gay parenting, 3rd highest number of gay couples in midsized cities, 25,000+ people at Pride, and this doesn't even touch on how gay Sundance is every year.
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Playing the odds.
My god, do you have to be involved in every thread? Please do not comment on my posts. Please do not communicate with me. I know you are not aware, but the tone of your posts has bothered me since I signed up 2 or 3 years ago. Please just leave me alone.
Well, I'm glad that things are well there! Having lived in some of the most liberal places in the country though (and the most conservative), I imagine not everyone may feel the same about SLC's vibe. It's all relative.
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It's just a question, bro. You in California. Chillax, as they say...
And yes, now I am aware. I wasn't before, so no need to throw a hissy fit about me addressing another posters on social/professional message board. That's generally how message boards work. You post. People respond. You don't have to like it, but it is what it is. Aight?
And yes, now I am aware. I wasn't before, so no need to throw a hissy fit about me addressing another posters on social/professional message board. That's generally how message boards work. You post. People respond. You don't have to like it, but it is what it is. Aight?
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Not sure about the community or vibe of it, but I assume universities with LGTB research would have an LGBT-friendly environment. I know NYU's Counseling Psychology program has a lot of active LGBT labs, UCSB's Counseling Psych has one, and Palo Alto University has an entire emphasis on LGBT therapy I believe, although that program is unfunded with low-ish match rates. I'm sure there's more but I only know about programs that LGBT friends are applying to.
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I can only speak from my experience as a first-year Counseling Psych student, but every program I interviewed with last year (ten total) was extremely affirmative of my gay identity. Some of these programs were in huge cities like NYC and Chicago, but other programs were in small college towns. Not to say every program waves the rainbow flag, but just playing the odds I'd think you'd be fine.
It seems like based on your followup posts you also have LGBT research interests, and I know the following Counseling Psych programs all have at least one faculty that conduct LGBT research: NYU, Indiana, Maryland, UCSB, Boston College, UMass Boston, UNT, UT-Knoxville, UMKC (not an exhaustive list by any means). Plus then you have faculty at other programs who work with minority/marginalized populations, and have worked with/are very open to working with LGBT samples: eg, Columbia, Loyola, GA State, Florida.
It seems like based on your followup posts you also have LGBT research interests, and I know the following Counseling Psych programs all have at least one faculty that conduct LGBT research: NYU, Indiana, Maryland, UCSB, Boston College, UMass Boston, UNT, UT-Knoxville, UMKC (not an exhaustive list by any means). Plus then you have faculty at other programs who work with minority/marginalized populations, and have worked with/are very open to working with LGBT samples: eg, Columbia, Loyola, GA State, Florida.
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It should be fine and friendly generally. That's not so much of a "problem" as media tends us to think it is. Just remember there are bad sheep in every pack so don't let that be a base to judge a whole community 🙂
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lol, I agree with you most of the time brah, but try not to antagonize people aight?
