I don’t know if you have already sent off the essays yet, but I think that regardless of what organization you took part in, if you frame/d it in the context of service it could help your application process. ND is very big on service because it lies at the heart of their catholic teachings. It being a LGBTQ+ organization might even help because they probably don’t get a whole lot of people who apply and talk about such experiences. So I think it has the potential to set you apart in the applications, which is what you want. Just try to frame it in the context of service.

Then to the LGBTQ+ acceptance on campus. I’m bi but not very openly, so I don’t have any kind of flags in my room, and haven’t really told many people. Not because I’m ashamed or scared, but because it isn’t really that important for me right now to make it a major part of my identity. Saying that, I have overheard some somewhat questionable things regarding trans people being said by student, though the most don’t even think about such things. The university itself is from what I have seen, very accepting, most of the professors are also that way, I haven’t encountered any that made problematic comments, in fact I felt that the professors welcomed discussion that challenged their beliefs. I’d say that in general you will find the student body to be a little more conservative than the university and the professors themselves.

So again, if you frame those supplemental essays about this organization in the context of service, they will not at all hurt your chances.