Should Colleges Ask?
Sexual orientation should stay off of the Common Application
By Ryan M. Rossner
Published: Friday, April 16, 2010
http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2010/4/16/sexual-applicants-lgbt-college/Harvard's attitude towards homosexuality has changed dramatically over the past century. In 1920, the University, under the leadership of Abbott L. Lowell, Class of 1877, established a secret court to discover and expel homosexuals within the community. During the 1950s, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Wilbur J. Bender '27, tried to improve the admission office's "ability to detect homosexual tendencies and serious psychiatric problems." Now, sexual orientation is again becoming a controversial subject for elite college admissions officers. The LGBT interest group Campus Pride has proposed adding an optional question about sexual orientation to the Common Application. Supporters of this movement believe that such a question will better enable colleges to meet the needs of LBGT prospective applicants and would produce a more sexually diverse classes. However, although it has the best intentions, the current proposition is flawed for several reasons.
First, unlike race, gender, or geographical location, by age 18 some applicants are unsure of their sexual orientation. College admissions committees seeking a diverse LGBT community would have to deal with the possibility that some applicants may not want, or be ready to, identify their LGBT status.
