On this page:
Ethnic Diversity
Bisexual, Gay, and Lesbian
Religion


Ethnic Diversity
There are several organizations at the University devoted to helping students from various ethnic backgrounds explore identity and career interests. In GSAS, the main group for this is the W.E.B. DuBois Society. The Society promotes scholarly research across Faculty of Arts and Sciences disciplines on issues of concern to the minority community. Their activities include sponsoring the W.E.B. DuBois Colloquium, publishing an annual journal, offering informal talks and discussions, hosting social events and fostering a sense of community among scholars whose racial and/or ethnic groups have been historically under-represented in academia

A good reading source for information on the subject is the book Smooth Transitions: Minority Student Handbook. This guide, a joint project of the GSAS Office of Student Affairs and the W.E.B. DuBois Graduate Society, includes reflections by students of color on their graduate school experiences and information about a variety of on- and off-campus resources. Hard copies are available at registration, or see the on-line version at the GSAS Web Site.

Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian
The queer community at Harvard is quite large and active. GSAS's main queer faction is the Lesbian, Bisexual and Gay Graduate Students at Harvard (LBGGS). LBGGS organizes academic and social activities and sponsors events with other Harvard-affiliated LBG groups and other GSAS organizations. The group holds a business meeting followed by a social hour on the first Thursday of every month and sponsors other activities, forums, speakers, and discussion groups throughout the year. Students who have ideas or wish to participate on the Steering Committee are invited to visit the web site or mail lbggs@hcs.harvard.edu.

The undergraduate group, Harvard-Radcliffe Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgendered and Support Alliance (BGLTSA), holds weekly open houses in the Adams House Lower Common Room in addition to organizing lectures, discussion groups, dances and an annual BGLAD Celebration.

The Harvard Gay and Lesbian Caucus is the organization of Harvard alumni, faculty and staff which publishes the Harvard Gay & Lesbian Newsletter.

Associations for gay men, lesbians and bisexuals at Harvard exist in the Law School, Business School, Kennedy School of Government, Medical School and Divinity School.

For information on gay night life, consult Bay Windows, the greater Boston area LBG newspaper. In years past, Bay Windows has been available at Dudley House. It is also available in most local bookstores and newsstands.

Religion
From graduate student minyans at Hillel to Christian fellowships to holiday observances, you can stay active in virtually any faith while a student at Harvard. A good place to start looking for a supportive religious community is the United Ministry (Memorial Church basement, 495-5529), a coalition of various religious institutions dedicated to practicing their faiths respectably.