Should I Play This Card?

[CorporateFatCat]

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I think my issue is that I believe if you're qualified, it shouldn't matter what your race or gender is. I also don't see how someone's sexual orientation would play into making a client more or less comfortable because it is something that wouldn't come up in a normal professional setting.

 

[HopefulAg]

In my opinion it's along the same lines of putting that you're an atheist, agnostic, or any kind of religion on there. Should it count against you? No. Can it count against you? Really depends on the person who looks over your application and how radical their views are.

In other words: don't do it. It's not worth the risk. Express yourself in vet school, but play the game so you can get there in the first place.



And yes I realize the decision has already been made but it's an interesting discussion.

 

[EllieGirl89]

I also don't see how someone's sexual orientation would play into making a client more or less comfortable because it is something that wouldn't come up in a normal professional setting.

It would be nice if this were true, but unfortunately it is not.

In simple friendly conversation with clients, one of my mentors has occasionally used the phrase "my wife." If I were to say "my girlfriend" or "my partner," this would automatically "betray" my sexual orientation. Not to mention in relations with my coworkers. Eventually, in getting to know each other, someone will ask if I'm married or ask who the woman is in the picture on my desk. So it very well could come up in a professional setting, unless I were to censor myself in ways that my heterosexual colleagues will not have to.

 

[EllieGirl89]

In my opinion it's along the same lines of putting that you're an atheist, agnostic, or any kind of religion on there. Should it count against you? No. Can it count against you? Really depends on the person who looks over your application and how radical their views are.

In other words: don't do it. It's not worth the risk. Express yourself in vet school, but play the game so you can get there in the first place.



And yes I realize the decision has already been made but it's an interesting discussion.

I understand your point, but the difference is that religion is a choice. Sexual orientation is not. Surely many religious folks feel that their religion is a part of them, but my sexual orientation isn't something I could change, even if I wanted to. It's a part of who I am and the way it was used in my application answered the question I was being asked.

I know that there are radicals out there and have run into my fair share of them. However, I'd like to believe that the very educated people deciding who gets into vet school are level headed and rational enough to overlook something such as religion or sexual orientation that doesn't agree with their personal views.

 

[Whyevernot55]

It would be nice if this were true, but unfortunately it is not.

In simple friendly conversation with clients, one of my mentors has occasionally used the phrase "my wife." If I were to say "my girlfriend" or "my partner," this would automatically "betray" my sexual orientation. Not to mention in relations with my coworkers. Eventually, in getting to know each other, someone will ask if I'm married or ask who the woman is in the picture on my desk. So it very well could come up in a professional setting, unless I were to censor myself in ways that my heterosexual colleagues will not have to.

I'm with you on this. I work in a vet clinic owned by an out lesbian - in fact, her sexual orientation is widely known, and many of the gay and lesbian pet owners in the community come to the vet clinic BECAUSE of it. Also because she's an amazing vet, but it's still a factor. And sometimes we get to know our clients well. I don't know about you, but I see clients out in public ALL THE TIME - at the grocery store, out to dinner, whatever. If they've been in the clinic often enough, they recognize me even when I'm not in scrubs. I'm frequently out in public with my significant other. It's not a professional setting, but it could certainly affect how a client views their vet if they discover that their vet is gay or lesbian.

Not sayin' it's right, but EllieGirl is on the money - it DOES come up. And it may be a significant factor.

 

[bunnity]

Along with what WhyEverNot55 is saying, it stands to reason that people will seek services (vet care, human medical care, car service, whatever) from a place where they feel comfortable and ... whatever the opposite word of alienated is. Where there are other people like them, or people that will accept them.

Ever noticed that a lot of women like to go to female gynecologists? Or that someone from a certain ethnic background will prefer to go to a store/bar/barber/laundromat run by someone of the same ethnic background (even if they speak the majority language)? Or that most cities have a community centers for young people, old people, GLBT people, Jewish people, and so on? People who are a minority in some sense often feel most comfortable in places with other similar minorities because it is more likely they will be accepted there than elsewhere. Of course it would be great if people were all accepted everywhere, but that's not the case right now.

Clients love to talk about their lives, including their personal lives. If someone is telling a story about their pet or explaining the pet's medical history, they will probably also be including information about their family and lifestyle. Many people like to bring the whole family along for vet appointments or especially for euthanasias. Unfortunately in some situations the client may not feel comfortable revealing that they are a sexual minority, whether for fear that the vet her/himself will judge them or that the vet will tell other people that they are not out to if it's a small town situation. If they have the option of going to an LGBT vet who they know will not judge them, they will be more comfortable AND more likely to be completely honest in relevant medical history.

 

[HopefulAg]

No doubting that but for the purposes of admission to vet school where your success lies with one, two, or three people instead of a whole community, you're better off not taking your chances IMO.

 

[bunnity]

I get what you are saying, that it can be risky if you end up with a homophobic admissions person.

But on the other hand, admissions people should be actively looking to increase diversity in their classes. If you read over on the pre allo board, it seems that human medical schools are really into getting racial and sexual minorities, and it is something I would like to see more of in vet school as well.

 

[Armymutt25A]

I think the diversity angle is stretching it. It'd be like me putting down that I'm a Catholic mid-westerner living in the largest concentration of Baptist churches I've ever seen. Am I a minority in that group? I suppose. Is it relative to vet school? Probably not.

 

[EllieGirl89]

I think the diversity angle is stretching it. It'd be like me putting down that I'm a Catholic mid-westerner living in the largest concentration of Baptist churches I've ever seen. Am I a minority in that group? I suppose. Is it relative to vet school? Probably not.

'Cept that being gay I'm a minority everywhere. lol

Again, for anyone who hasn't read this entire thread (or even just the first post) I did NOT just throw it in there like "Oh heyyy, adcomms, I'm gay!" It just happened to be a part of a situation that fit in nicely with one of the (non-veterinary related) questions that was asked on the supplemental.

 

[LMMS]

'Cept that being gay I'm a minority everywhere. lol

Again, for anyone who hasn't read this entire thread (or even just the first post) I did NOT just throw it in there like "Oh heyyy, adcomms, I'm gay!" It just happened to be a part of a situation that fit in nicely with one of the (non-veterinary related) questions that was asked on the supplemental.

HA! HA! HA! You GO GIRL!!!

Seriously though, if you are turned down because of it, would you want to go there? I'll be honest, if a school were to turn people away for such a reason, I would have major reservations about attending myself. As far as I'm concerned being a good doctor, or anything else for that matter, has absolutely NOTHING to do with gender, race, religion, or sexual orientation. I really hope that when my infant niece (who happens to have a name that works for both genders) applies to college, the only box she'll have to check is 'intended major'.

 

[EllieGirl89]

HA! HA! HA! You GO GIRL!!!

Seriously though, if you are turned down because of it, would you want to go there? I'll be honest, if a school were to turn people away for such a reason, I would have major reservations about attending myself. As far as I'm concerned being a good doctor, or anything else for that matter, has absolutely NOTHING to do with gender, race, religion, or sexual orientation. I really hope that when my infant niece (who happens to have a name that works for both genders) applies to college, the only box she'll have to check is 'intended major'.

Yeah, I've definitely been out too long to be shoved back into the closet by a college. If one would reject me because of that well...yah, no good.

And that is awesome about your niece, I too hope that one day all this stuff that makes us "different" won't be such a huge deal.

As an aside, I really LOVE boy names for girls-personally I want to have 2 girls and name them Devon and Logan 😀

 

[luplodw]

Well if for some reason you do get rejected because someone looked down upon this issue....remember not to blame it on the school...no school would do that purposely

 

[EllieGirl89]

With my (relatively) low vet experience hours and my mediocre math/science GPA hardly think my gay will have much to do with it and I certainly won't blame the school. I'm in the camp of "thinking positive but not getting my hopes up." I'm an average candidate, and really wouldn't be terribly surprised to get rejected.

 

[CorporateFatCat]

Although I'm all for diversity, I would disagree with accepting certain races, genders, whatevers just for the sake of diversifying the Veterinary population. I don't necessarily feel like it's fair to pick one qualified applicant over another because they represent a minority. C'est la vie. I look forward to having smart, compassionate collegues in the Veterinary World no matter what race, gender, or sexual preference they hail from.

 

[cwazy cat lady]

I've found that with any information I want to include in my app, I've asked, is this relevant? I'd say if you were involved in clubs/organisations/won awards/organized an event or something notable/something you are proud of or something which made you better equipped to be a vet that should be included in an application than of course mention it.
I'm from a very liberal area of the country, and I'm very liberal myself, so I suppose I don't think twice about sexual orientation. The people who are part of the medical/science field tend to also be a liberal group, it would be sad and shameful if this info. was held against you.

Best of luck!

What he said. All of it. 👍

I happen to be a pretty outspoken atheist and it's a fundamental component of who I am since it forms the basis of my worldview. In addition, I have great stories about how I never compromised my integrity even going to religious schools as a child (when I already knew I was an atheist). I have even done some community service and activity related to 'the cause.' Nevertheless, those stories and activities ranked much lower in terms of what the admin group needed to know about me. There is nothing on my app that suggests anything about my religious inclinations (or lack thereof), except the fact that I still support my Catholic high school through service. (Might give them a different impression, though that was unintentional on my part!) Anyways, it just wasn't as important as all the other topics... so it did not come up. I would imagine sexual orientation and identity might not really make the cut, either, even if it is central to who you are... as laitmanvet said, "is it really relevant?"

Anyways, good luck to you!!!

 

[Hillview]

You may want to do some self-examination before you interview, and work on some of your of prejudices. When you mention surprise that "old ex-dairy farmer" might be able to accept your orientation, you reveal that you expect gays to look and live a certain way. Most gay people look like everyone else in their profession, and that includes hard-working gays in agricultural areas.

Also, many tolerant and accepting people are conservative in their politics, because of their beliefs in conservative fiscal restraint. Do not assume that all conservatives are intolerant, or that all liberals are inclusive. Your future patron base will be diverse, so you will need to learn to broaden your acceptance, or find your client base limited.