"Gay before May"...and it's okay

By KC Cohen

BEACON HILL—During her freshman year at Emerson College, Janie Olson decided she no longer wanted to keep her sexual orientation a secret. Olson decided to come out to her friends—that she was straight.

“They were like, ‘Wait, you’re not even bisexual?’” Olson said. “They couldn’t believe I only like men!”

At Emerson, students have learned not to assume heterosexuality. In fact, Emerson students have adopted the phrase “Gay before May,” joking that if they’re not gay when they apply, a student will be by graduation.

This summer, the 2009 edition of the Princeton Review named Emerson College the most gay-friendly college or university in the country, placing it at the top of the review’s “Gay Community Accepted” list.

The ranking is based on an 80-question survey that asks students at 368 schools to rate their college on several topics, such as condition of residence halls, availability of financial aid, and overall quality of life.

“I definitely notice a lack of straight men here,” said Megan Blanchette, a senior at Emerson who also said she gets hit on more often by women than men. “It’s good that everyone is so accepting, so I think it’s worth it.”

The “Gay Community Accepted” list and the alternative list, “Alternative Lifestyles not an Alternative,” are based on students’ answers to the statement, “At my campus, students, faculty and administrators treat all persons equally regardless of their sexual orientations,” said Jeanne Krier, a publicist for Princeton Review Books.

“[Emerson] students’ answers to that question indicated the highest level of agreement with that statement,” said Krier.

The University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., holds the No. 1 spot of the “Alternative Lifestyles not an Alternative” list.

EAGLE, Emerson’s Alliance for Gays, Lesbians, and Everyone, provides a voice for students of all sexual orientations, according to the alliance’s website. The group sponsors events such as “Dragtoberfest,” hands out pins brandishing “I [heart] boys,” and puts on an annual “Gayla” for homosexual, bisexual, and transgender advocacy.

The college also has an active Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender section of its Student Life office, which provides educational resources and support for students.

The alliance and the Emerson Student Life Office both did not return phone calls.

“We’re pleased to be recognized for being friendly to all different kinds of people,” said David Rosen, vice president for public affairs at Emerson. “It’s part of our culture and tradition at Emerson to be accepting of people as individuals.”

The “Top 20” Princeton Review lists are published annually in The Best 368 Colleges. The information the company gathers has an 80 percent accuracy rating, said Seamus Malarky, senior editor of the book.

“The better educated a student is, the more likely they are to find the best fit,” Malarky said. “We’re dedicated to helping them find that.”

Emerson also ranks No. 1 on the “Best College Radio Station” list and No. 12 on the “Dodgeball Targets” list.