Lgtbq and European college apps

[Anonymous]

Parent of a gay child who went to university in France as part of a dual US/FR degree program. The bonus is that the education was better and the tuition for the first two years was 1/3 of the cost of her US Ivy college. Also, healthcare was better in FR.

I agree with PPs that not everywhere in Europe is safe, and it is probably safer for gay or bi students than trans, but definitely safer for all than in the US for the forseeable future.

Our gay child is in grad school and thinking about returning to Europe to work after graduating. One can't underestimate the depressing nature of living in a country you once thought of as your home and watching it reject you every day at every level of governance in every part of the country. There are some places that we now consider no go zones in the US (much of the south) -- will not travel there, will not live or work there, will not be tourists there - for safety and political reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Parent of a gay child who went to university in France as part of a dual US/FR degree program. The bonus is that the education was better and the tuition for the first two years was 1/3 of the cost of her US Ivy college. Also, healthcare was better in FR.

I agree with PPs that not everywhere in Europe is safe, and it is probably safer for gay or bi students than trans, but definitely safer for all than in the US for the forseeable future.

Our gay child is in grad school and thinking about returning to Europe to work after graduating. One can't underestimate the depressing nature of living in a country you once thought of as your home and watching it reject you every day at every level of governance in every part of the country. There are some places that we now consider no go zones in the US (much of the south) -- will not travel there, will not live or work there, will not be tourists there - for safety and political reasons.

I'm a gay American who lived in Europe for a long time, both UK and Germany and now happily lives back in the US. I have no idea what you're trying to claim. Other than that you have political issues that has nothing to do with sexuality but everything with politics. And online fear mongering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent of a gay child who went to university in France as part of a dual US/FR degree program. The bonus is that the education was better and the tuition for the first two years was 1/3 of the cost of her US Ivy college. Also, healthcare was better in FR.

I agree with PPs that not everywhere in Europe is safe, and it is probably safer for gay or bi students than trans, but definitely safer for all than in the US for the forseeable future.

Our gay child is in grad school and thinking about returning to Europe to work after graduating. One can't underestimate the depressing nature of living in a country you once thought of as your home and watching it reject you every day at every level of governance in every part of the country. There are some places that we now consider no go zones in the US (much of the south) -- will not travel there, will not live or work there, will not be tourists there - for safety and political reasons.

I'm a gay American who lived in Europe for a long time, both UK and Germany and now happily lives back in the US. I have no idea what you're trying to claim. Other than that you have political issues that has nothing to do with sexuality but everything with politics. And online fear mongering.

Respectfully, you are an older gay man who grew up in a different atmosphere than today’s gay youth - across your lifetime the culture increasingly accepted the LGBTQ community and ensured their rights. You are established and probably have social and financial safety nets greater than a young person.

Today, things are very different - while part of the culture is very welcoming of the LGBTQ+ community, another *big* part of the culture is actively unwelcoming - and yes, it is political because it involves the diminishment of legal rights and the use of politics to gain control of government to exclude LGBTQ+ people from various aspects of life. Thousands of trans service members have been kicked out of the military. Across many states, schools have forbidden discussion of LGBTQ+ issues, books, and ejected trans kids from sports teams and bathrooms. Some states have banned “gender-affirming care” and the federal government is moving to ban it nation-wide. While on the surface these changes target trans people the most, the message to other members of the LGBTQ community is unmistakeable - we can make people hate you and take away your rights too.

Yes, it has been a political choice under Trump to deliberately foment an atmosphere of instability, fear and intimidation among many groups. The fact that I am naming it is not fear-mongering - that’s a bit of DARVO abuser logic on your part.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Parent of a gay child who went to university in France as part of a dual US/FR degree program. The bonus is that the education was better and the tuition for the first two years was 1/3 of the cost of her US Ivy college. Also, healthcare was better in FR.

I agree with PPs that not everywhere in Europe is safe, and it is probably safer for gay or bi students than trans, but definitely safer for all than in the US for the forseeable future.

Our gay child is in grad school and thinking about returning to Europe to work after graduating. One can't underestimate the depressing nature of living in a country you once thought of as your home and watching it reject you every day at every level of governance in every part of the country. There are some places that we now consider no go zones in the US (much of the south) -- will not travel there, will not live or work there, will not be tourists there - for safety and political reasons.

I'm a gay American who lived in Europe for a long time, both UK and Germany and now happily lives back in the US. I have no idea what you're trying to claim. Other than that you have political issues that has nothing to do with sexuality but everything with politics. And online fear mongering.

Respectfully, you are an older gay man who grew up in a different atmosphere than today’s gay youth - across your lifetime the culture increasingly accepted the LGBTQ community and ensured their rights. You are established and probably have social and financial safety nets greater than a young person.

Today, things are very different - while part of the culture is very welcoming of the LGBTQ+ community, another *big* part of the culture is actively unwelcoming - and yes, it is political because it involves the diminishment of legal rights and the use of politics to gain control of government to exclude LGBTQ+ people from various aspects of life. Thousands of trans service members have been kicked out of the military. Across many states, schools have forbidden discussion of LGBTQ+ issues, books, and ejected trans kids from sports teams and bathrooms. Some states have banned “gender-affirming care” and the federal government is moving to ban it nation-wide. While on the surface these changes target trans people the most, the message to other members of the LGBTQ community is unmistakeable - we can make people hate you and take away your rights too.

Yes, it has been a political choice under Trump to deliberately foment an atmosphere of instability, fear and intimidation among many groups. The fact that I am naming it is not fear-mongering - that’s a bit of DARVO abuser logic on your part.

The post in response to your message was deleted, which tells you how difficult it is to have a frank discussion about this topic on here. I am not going to repeat what I previously wrote for obvious reasons, but I do not think people are served well by thinking somehow it's "better" in Europe, where there is significant pushback against trans activism in many areas, including in the UK. The grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence and the real world isn't the internet safe spaces. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:French poster here.

I really hope you're a troll, OP. No one can be this ignorant to think that "Europe" is just one happy, tolerant country. Italy has been ruled by the conservative right for years. Did you see the anti-immigrant riots in the UK? In Ireland, they went so far as to set fire to the homes of immigrants of color, while children were still inside. Are you aware that Emmanuel Macron is term limited and the far-right party could win the Presidency in France?

And that's before we even get into gender fluidities...

Your child needs to stick to large, multi-cultural cities in the US and Europe, but they still need to exercise a lot of caution if they are visibly transgender. That's dangerous anywhere.

I have been raging about this on DCUM for ages. Somehow the supposed educated population of this board can’t seem to get it into their heads that Europe has 50+ countries, and that there is very little similarity between Norway and Albania.

Even in Germany, there is a huge difference in views between the former East, and the former West. THe urban areas are definitely more left leaning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:French poster here.

I really hope you're a troll, OP. No one can be this ignorant to think that "Europe" is just one happy, tolerant country. Italy has been ruled by the conservative right for years. Did you see the anti-immigrant riots in the UK? In Ireland, they went so far as to set fire to the homes of immigrants of color, while children were still inside. Are you aware that Emmanuel Macron is term limited and the far-right party could win the Presidency in France?

And that's before we even get into gender fluidities...

Your child needs to stick to large, multi-cultural cities in the US and Europe, but they still need to exercise a lot of caution if they are visibly transgender. That's dangerous anywhere.

French poster, question from American: Would visibly trans person be in danger in immigrant heavy areas of your large cities, eg Paris?