AltBrothers

Sunday, April 8, 2007 · Last updated 3:02 p.m. PT

Many gays struggle at black colleges
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Gays_Black_Colleges.html

By DIONNE WALKER
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

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)

HAMPTON, Va. — So lured was April Maxwell by the promise of the black college experience, with its distinct traditions and tight-knit campus life, that she enrolled at Hampton University in 2001 without even visiting the waterfront campus.

A lesbian who is open about her sexual orientation, she arrived eager to join the extended Hampton family.

Instead, “I felt like I was the only gay person on campus - it seemed like nobody was really out,” said the now 24-year-old Maxwell.

Continue: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Gays_Black_Colleges.html