There's actually a kind of weird thing about gayness and RIT. See, they've got the NTID there, too, the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. Well, here's the weird gay thing, there are quite a few gays who are learning to be hearing facilitators among the deaf students ... must be a sympathetic thing among less-enfranchised people? Anyway, there is a deaf gay community, as well.
I used to hang with people there, mostly in the liberal arts areas, which are actually strong despite it being a technical college. It's been a while, but if things haven't changed much this is due to all the students in the film studies area. They had some very modern equipment back in the day, and I'm sure they still have the cutting edge stuff. One of the poetry teachers is a personal friend, and several of the deaf poets have moved on, but I am sure it is still a happening thing. It was all Ginsberg's doing. They call him "bird brain" (in sign) because that was what he called himself when he visitted them. He basically told them that ASL is a language and they should consider composing directly in sign and use a speaking translator, instead of the other way around. What a cool guy he was! So, yeah, RIT has some serious gay stuff happening.
As for my friend, well, he's been my friend for 25 years. Now that he's sick I won't throw him under the bus, of course. But yeah, idiotic. So I thought I'd warn you that they are there in Roch-cha-cha. I'm glad to read that you are wise about that!
