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CNN Saturday Morning News

Colleges Reach Out to Gays, Lesbians

Aired June 08, 2002 - 09:27   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We turn our attention now to college admissions. In an effort to build diversity, many colleges are reaching out to the gay and lesbian young people. But some people are wondering, do kids have to come out to get in?

CNN Boston bureau chief Bill Delaney has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL DELANEY, CNN BOSTON BUREAU CHIEF: So you've worked hard all through school, and it comes time to apply for college. You've gotten really good grades. You're a varsity swimmer. You even won the science fair.

Well, it turns out that a lot of very good colleges right now, none of that will hurt you, but it can also make a difference whether you got straight A's or not, whether you're straight or not.

(voice-over): In May in Boston, the first-ever college fair for gay high school students drew recruiters from Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Brown, and dozens of other schools, who, like Tufts University dean of admissions David Cuttino say it's all about diversity and the maturity, independence, guts, of dealing young with being gay.

DAVID CUTTINO, TUFTS UNIVERSITY: Our focus is, how is it that we can bring to the university people who will bring interesting perspectives and experiences that will make the discussion in the residence halls and in the classroom more rewarding because they're here together?

DELANEY: The discussion should be, says Brian Camenker, father of a high school sophomore, why coming out has anything to do with getting in.

BRIAN CAMENKER, FATHER OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: A parent has to look and say, What in the heck is going on here? The trend is pushing this on kids, encouraging a college student to identify as someone who does these kinds of things, is a homosexual. Encouraging this is very, very troubling for society.

DELANEY: How colleges can sort out who's gay and who's not, for the most part, still isn't black and white, at least to the degree applicants routinely now note whether, well, they're black or white. Several universities are planning an optional sexual orientation category on applications. High school junior and college fair organizer Andrew Yeats, though, stresses sexual orientation in itself's not the point.

ANDREW YEATS, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: I don't think it's being gay, it's being able to overcome the adversity of our society. Being able to stand up to that, I think, shows a lot of sort of moral character.

DELANEY: Though what's moral isn't always black or white.

Bill Delaney, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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