Gays Often Struggle at Black Colleges

Hampton University graduate, April Maxwell, left, and current Hampton University student, S.M., right, are photographed Saturday, March 30, 2007, in Hampton, Va. Both women tried to organize a gay support group on campus, only to be denied a charter by the school. (AP Photo/Gary C. Knapp) (Gary C. Knapp - AP)

"So much of our campus is focused on this ideal of 'the Hampton man' and 'the Hampton woman,'" said Michael, a transfer student and SPEAK member who, like the group's president, is closeted and refused to let his last name be printed. "Men walk women home _ traditional Southern values."

But students are changing.

The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network counts more than 3,000 gay-straight alliances at American high schools. Those youth will apply to colleges that can ensure their safety and will provide support, said Kevin Rome, vice president for student services at Morehouse, where a student was beaten in 2002 for an alleged same-sex pass.

"Society is changing," Rome said. "Students aren't coming here experimenting with their sexuality, they're coming here knowing.

"Our schools have to accommodate. It's inevitable."

Gay students have enjoyed far greater visibility at Virginia's large, majority white institutions.

Virginia Tech's gay alliance group hosts support meetings and social outings. The University of Virginia recently hired a coordinator for its gay resource center, a hub for 2,000 gay students at the Charlottesville campus.

At historically black schools, change is gradual. Braud has nudged along groups at 20 schools through a special black college-aimed Human Rights Campaign program.

At state-supported institutions such as Norfolk State, Curtis said it's easier to prompt change because other state universities in Virginia already have gay support groups.

At private Hampton, April Maxwell said she knew lots of gays and found support among pockets of students, regardless of sexuality.

"The people who are in charge, I really don't think they're for it," Maxwell said.

But school officials say competition is stiff on campus, where a moratorium has limited the number of student groups to 90 _ and unchartered groups can't meet. New groups are chartered when other groups become inactive.

Only four spots were available during the 2006-07 school year. Forty-four organizations have applied for charters over the last two years, and 11 received them.

"No organization is given any type of special treatment," said Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Barbara Inman. "The university doesn't have a position on gay and lesbian faculty and staff members."