Hi! I am a prospective student who is a lesbian as well as trans and wanted to hear from students or parents of students about how life as a lgbtq student was.
Our Oberlin student is not LGBTQ but his parents are 
. I think you will find Oberlin extremely welcoming as a member of the LGBTQ community. There are many trans kids as well as those who identify as LGB and non binary and lots of activities and events that help students find their people and get support.
Best of luck as you go through the application process!
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I think you would feel very comfortable. Our son is a sophomore, and I would say many if not most of his friends are trans and or part of the LGBTQ community in some way. It’s an incredibly inclusive school with lots of support and community. Good luck!
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My daughter’s LGBTQ+ friend is at Oberlin and is very happy there. He’s found a great community.
Where are you coming from? My concern about Oberlin is not the school—which is by all accounts extremely welcoming—but Ohio, where the state government is quite hostile to LGBTQ+ people. If you’re coming from a similar state, then this might not be a concern for you (and the ability to attend a welcoming school like Oberlin could be a big improvement). But if you’re coming from a blue state, this could make a big difference in terms of basic quality of life (access to health care, bathroom use, etc.).
Best of luck to you!
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Having now made several trips to the region, this is just not true in practice. Oberlin in particular and the city it is nearest (Cleveland) have been LGBTQ+ friendly and no one looks at us sideways. And we come from the bluest state there is.
I’m glad to hear it and not surprised. But the concern I’m articulating is about the impact of state law on a trans student’s ability to receive health care, use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity, etc.
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Understood. But the laws in Ohio pertain to minors, just wanted to point that out. Horrible and egregious and despicable, yes.
Ohio has a law allowing health care workers to refuse to provide or refer for services if they have “conscience-based objections.”
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As do most states.
OK. We’ll have to agree to disagree about the potential implications for a trans student of attending college in a state that has passed and continues to consider LGBTQ-hostile legislation.
OP, wishing you the best wherever you end up.
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While it is common for people to talk and write about LGBTQ friendliness or lack thereof, one should be aware that social and political hostility against T (especially T women) is significantly greater than against the rest of LGBQ. Someone concerned about social and political hostility against T may want to look specifically at that aspect, rather than assume that what goes for LGBQ also applies the same way to T.
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I’ll be honest, this is the only hesitation I have about sending my non-binary child to school in Ohio. We’re currently in NC, which is competing to be the most hateful state in the Union, so I’m acutely aware of how bad it can get.
For now, I am taking hope in the fact that Ohio overwhelmingly approved a Constitutional amendment to protect reproductive freedom and that it looks like citizens are also trying to get an anti-gerrymandering amendment on the ballot, too. To me, that says that Ohio’s leaders are out of step with the people of Ohio, and that the people are fighting back.
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