Princeton ranks in top 20 for gay-friendliness

Correction appended

Gay? Fine by Princeton.

Or at least according to national newsmagazine The Advocate, which recently ranked the University as one of the top 20 campuses in the nation for supporting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students.

The University of Pennsylvania was the only other Ivy League school to appear in the top 20, with Harvard notably absent from the top 100.

The list is featured in "The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students," a 389-page book that rates colleges based on 20 criteria — including the strength of LGBT and allied student organizations, LGBT social activities and educational events and whether the campus police are trained on LGBT sensitivity — that make up their "Gay Point Average," or GPA.

Princeton garnered a GPA of 19 out of a possible 20 points, in large part because of the gay and lesbian programming offered by the University's new LGBT Center.

"There was a part of me that really believed we would make [the top 20]," Debbie Bazarsky, director of the LGBT Center, said. "When I look at what other institutions provide in support, only about 150 others have LGBT centers with full-time employees running the center, and our support from the top down at Princeton is really above and beyond what a lot of other schools offer."

Bazarsky explained that many people are surprised by the vibrancy of Princeton's LGBT community, especially given its small size.

"There is definitely some surprise when I talk to people, because Princeton is small, and we have a smaller [LGBT] community," she said. "We compare ourselves to NYU with a huge LGBT community and New York City with its large gay community."

Students involved with the LGBT Center, which hosts two to three events each week, cited it as instrumental in making students feel comfortable on campus.

"The Center is surprisingly important ... It is more important than it may seem for those who are not involved." said Caitlin Edwards '07 a "gender queer" student who does not identify with a particular gender.

While most students interviewed agreed the administration is supportive of LGBT students, some identified problems such as the segregation of gays from mainstream campus life and mixed attitudes about gays and lesbians among undergraduates.

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"While some [students] are actively supportive, there are others who are definitely weirded out and separate themselves," said Anna Liebowitz '09, adding, however, that she feels comfortable being open on campus.

"I've never needed to hide my identity, even around football or lacrosse players. Also, offensive terminology is not widely used around campus," she said.

Aside from the rankings, "The Advocate College Guide" lists so-called campus hot spots for LGBT students. One such hot spot at Princeton, according to the guide, is the annual drag ball hosted by the student group Queer Radicals.

A similar event later in the year, the All-Ivy Drag Ball, featured hundreds of people dressed in drag and competing for the title of Princeton's "All-Ivy Drag Queen" and "All-Ivy Drag King," and included President Tilghman as a judge in 2005.

Correction

The original version of this story incorrectly failed to distinguish between the annual drag ball hosted by the Queer Radicals and the All-Ivy Drag Ball, which was hosted later in the year.