IU has been ranked highly as one of the best universities for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students by different organizations.
In 2010 the Advocate, a magazine focusing on American LGBT issues, named Bloomington the fourth-gayest city in America in terms of LGBT per capita and ?resources for LGBT people.
This year, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Student Support Services office at IU celebrated its 20th anniversary.
Additionally, the University received a five out of five star rating in addition to a place on the 2014 list of Top 50 LGBT-friendly Colleges & Universities from the ?Campus Pride Index, an organization that determines how friendly colleges and universities are toward the LGBT community.
When choosing IU, freshmen Joshua Byron Krathwohl, who goes by Joshua Byron, and Matt Rood, who both identify as gay, and first-year transfer Diana Chaudron, who identifies as queer, did not look at these rankings. They said they chose IU because it was the right university for them.
Byron is majoring in communication and culture and chose IU because, to him, the University’s arts scene is more vibrant than Purdue’s.
He is currently making a web series entitled “Help Me” about a female college student who is in a play and experiencing anxiety.
Chaudron transferred from Mesa Community College in Arizona and is double majoring in Mandarin Chinese and telecommunications. She is involved in IU’s Chinese Flagship program.
Rood double majors in Chinese and theater and drama and is also a member of the Chinese Flagship ?program.
In an academic setting, Rood said he has never felt prejudiced or discriminated against.
“I’ve had no experience of discrimination. This is a great place,” Rood said.
Chaudron and Byron echoed that sentiment, but Bryon also said there is a “professional necessity” to be pro-gay in some capacity if a professor or instructor is to hold a public position.
Socially, Chaudron and Byron have both experienced forms of ?discrimination.
“There’s dirty looks or stares sometimes, ?definitely,” Chaudron said.
While she hasn’t had anything said directly to her, she’s heard many conversations in public that are full of gay slurs.
Chaudron said her reaction to hearing these conversations is to just try to avoid that person.
Byron said he notices a phenomena that occurs with gay students in social ?situations.
“They are made into stereotypes, like the gay best friend,” he said. “They are there to entertain. They are not there for their beliefs or thoughts on things. They are there because they are funny or they say really gay things.”
For reasons like this, Byron said at times gay students have to fight harder to be taken seriously and break through this social “fetishization” of a gay people being used as accessories and having their sexuality define them.
There are more things that define a person, Byron said. While he recognizes some people are just curious, he said others have ?gossip-related intentions.
All three students said they think there are many great opportunities and ways for students who feel discriminated against to get support.
“There are plenty of programs in place,” Rood said. “This is a great place for LGBT students.”
Byron said he hopes to become more involved with the LGBT community at IU and in Bloomington and plans to take advantage of the opportunities that the GLBT office has to offer.
Rood and Chaudron said they plan on doing so as well.
Byron, Rood and Chaudron said they would recommend IU to those who identify as LGBT. Chaudron said while the University is welcoming to LGBT students, there is always room for improvement. However she didn’t know quite what those changes would be.
“That would be nice, although I’m not sure what in particular can be done,” she said.
