Have you ever looked behind your shoulder to see two members of the same sex sharing a kiss behind you in class? On other college campuses, homosexual couples publicly showing affection is a normal occurrence.
But the chances of this happening at Fairfield are seemingly slim… and it’s not like this is any secret.
While preparing for my freshman year here at Fairfield, I decided to do some research to uncover useful information, such as student ratings of the school, common stereotypes and general facts that would be helpful to incoming frosh.
Within a few seconds of skimming my search results, I acquired a general idea of how Fairfield life would supposedly be. I was slightly nervous after reading the various pages claiming low student diversity, a predominantly conservative student body and an unfriendly attitude towards homosexuals.
Now that LGBTQ month is coming to a close, I am inclined to reflect on my high school experience, entirely different from the lifestyle here. My high school was very diverse; I had seen homosexual couples kissing and holding hands in the hallways between classes on a regular basis.
It was all part of society that I was exposed to from a young age. My school’s literary magazine hosted monthly coffee houses welcoming poetry readings and music performances, dedicating many of these to the LGBTQ community. Guests and performers showed up in clothes of the opposite sex with pride rainbows painted on their faces.
Now, as I walk around campus, I see guys and girls walking together, smiling and holding hands. Whether or not they are romantic couples, I am not sure. My point is that I have never once witnessed two members of the same sex showing that level of affection in public.
Just yesterday, I visited the Fairfield University website and explored the section titled “Programs and Services.” The safe space program supposedly “creates a network of campus-based allies to support and confirm the dignity and self worth of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer students and their allies.”
But how many students are actually aware of this group and how many truly partake in it? An anonymous student who attends these meetings informed me that roughly 10-15 members are regularly present. As a reflection of a student’s level of comfort in being openly and publicly homosexual, this number is very low.
Numbers provide only further support to these claims. For one, Fairfield was listed in the bottom 20 gay-friendly schools in the Princeton Review.
One of the unfortunate facts about Fairfield is that the white, conservative, preppy stereotype is sort of true. When there is such low diversity, it is difficult to express who one truly is due to the fear of standing out. For this reason, many homosexual students would feel as if coming out is not acceptable at a place like Fairfield.
I realize that Fairfield is not the same type of school as NYU or Vassar, where the LGBTQ community is more prominent. The fact that we are a Jesuit institution has a lot to do with the conservative ideologies present in many people, contributing to a less open acceptance for homosexuals.
Though a Jesuit institution cannot possibly change its age-old educational tradition, start distributing condoms or begin having fraternities and sororities, there is definitely more that can be done to create a welcoming atmosphere for the homosexual community here at Fairfield.
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