In my experience, it's been very welcoming, but I didn't live in res, so I can't say what it's like in that regard.
McMaster does have a Queer Students Community Centre, which is very accessible and they hold multiple events and get-togethers throughout the year. Even if you don't attend them, it's still comforting to know that the school is so open and supportive in this way.
You're still going to run into a lot of people who use homophobic language (they're easy to avoid though), but you'll also meet people who are completely non-judgemental, especially when you get into your later years. In first year I met a lot of people who weren't purposefully homophobic, but they still saw being gay as something ~scandalous or ~different. I think this was just due to lack of exposure and their upbringing though, because for the most part they were open minded and I'm sure over the next couple of years they'll come to realize the problems within their line of thinking.
Professors and TA's I've had are all well-versed and knowledgeable on queer issues. Homophobia definitely won't be tolerated in any class, but it's like, 90% unlikely that it'll happen anyways.
Of course, everyone's experience is different, and it'll probably depend a lot on how social you are, how out and open you are, etc but overall I'd say it's a safe-space and a comfortable atmosphere to be in for members of the gay community.
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