Technology opens some doors, closes others for gay college students

While Facebook has been a powerful social networking tool for LGBT students, the darker side is that it also can facilitate discrimination. Gay students are finding that they are being rejected as roommates more often, presumably because they disclosed their sexual orientation on Facebook.

The site makes it possible for roommates to meet each other before actually moving into the dorms. As great as that can be for easing the transition into college life, it also gives people the chance to reject a roommate based on superficial details or prejudices. USA Today talked with several colleges who said that they're seeing an increase in requests for new roommate assignments, an increase the schools attribute to Facebook profiles.

Parents are more likely to request a new roommate for their child based on the roommate's Facebook profile. Worries about partying and substance abuse was parents' top concern, usually based on pictures from the profile. However, race, religion and sexual orientation were cited among the most common reasons for a request.

Some schools said that they don't grant these early requests. Representatives from the University of Chicago and Syracuse University, for example, have policies that put off roommate changes until after the school year has begun and the students have had a chance to get to know each other.

On the brighter side, college cable network mtvU announced its new fall lineup, which includes two programs that will include frank discussion of gay issues. Sex Cred with Dr. Ruth will feature Dr. Ruth Westheimer offering advice on sexuality based on questions sent to mtvu.com. The series will be archived on the web and web surfers will be able to browse topics that Dr Ruth has addressed in the past.

How Do I Say This? is an interactive web series was produced by students at UCLA on a community-based advice site where students helped each other talk through difficult revelations. The first season of the cable show, titled How Do I Say This?: I'm Gay, makes its TV debut in October, combining comments from the site, user-submitted video and some new production elements.