​LGBTQ+ Students in the First Year of College

LGBTQ+ Students in the First Year of College: A Call to Action for Supportive Resources

The high school to college transition is commonly understood as a stressful yet fulfilling time for recent graduates as they decide where to attend, what to study, and how this decision will impact the trajectory of their life. While stress is common for any student, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, and other sexual minorities (LGBTQ+) navigate a new level of independence and self-discovery on campuses within the first year of college (Rankin et al., 2019). Oftentimes, this transition from high school and college is paired with bias, discrimination, and microaggressions from non-affirming peers, greatly impacting student’s academic success and mental well-being (Luh et al., 2023). Minority stress posits that LGBTQ+ individuals face unique stressors the dominant heteronormative group does not experience due to stigmatized social status and sociocultural discrimination (Bridge et al., 2022; Meyer, 2015). The impact of this stress can lead to individual safety concerns, ongoing oppression, discrimination, and poor health (Flores et al., 2022). Individuals of the LGBTQ+ community face traumatic stress leading to poor outcomes and deteriorating mental health (Luh et al., 2023).

College is a formative and stressful time in student's lives, even without added hate from peers (Pitcher et al., 2018). How prevalent is this issue? According to data from the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (n.d.), a governmental agency that provides resources and assistance to higher education systems, one in four LGBTQ+ college students consider dropping out of school due to mental health challenges, significantly more frequent than heterosexual peers (Ueno et al., 2023). Additionally, The Trevor Project (2021) reports 67% of LGBTQ+ students felt lonely or isolated and 55% expressed hopeless feelings on college campuses due to stigma and discrimination.

Consider Taylor, a first-year transgender student with dreams to become an LGBTQ+ affirming health care provider, someone they never had growing up. Taylor, once thrilled to attend a four-year college, found themselves overwhelmed by frequent misgendering, microaggressions, and the constant exclusion from peer groups. While experiencing panic attacks during campus orientation, Taylor looked online to find support from the on-campus PRIDE Center only to find out that the support office was closed and turned into a student ID center. Taylor, feeling vulnerable and isolated, decided that the campus climate was hostile and not a place they felt supported in their academic pursuits. Taylor moved back to their rural hometown after dropping out, feeling oppressed, judged, and hopeless. [This vignette is fictional and any resemblance to real persons or events is purely coincidental]. This story, while fictional, resembles the reality for LGBTQ+ students and the need for administrative, faculty, and peer support in higher education (Schermele, 2023). Evidence regarding safety of LGBTQ+ students during and after the COVID-19 pandemic is significant, indicating one out of four LGBTQ+ students attending college had to go back into the closet (i.e., concealing their identity) due to safety or financial reasons from unsupportive family members or colleagues (Gonzales et al., 2023).

College campuses are ecosystems that continue to be studied sociologically (Rankin et al., 2019), unveiling staggering statistics about the critical need for mental health support in higher education to tackle LGBTQ+ issues. To best support LGBTQ+ students, campuses must adopt and enforce inclusive practices, zero-tolerance for hate, and create safe spaces where students can voluntarily access culturally competent staff who understand unique stressors experienced by LGBTQ+ students. Mental health support for LGBTQ+ students continues to decline as legislation blocks inclusive spaces across states like Texas (Rodrigues, 2024). Banning diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) on campuses blockades peer-support activities such as queersgiving, lavender graduation for LGBTQ+ students, and closure of support offices (Rodrigues, 2024). University student centers are closing due to state-specific policies such as Utah HB261 that disallows public institutions from representing diversity and inclusion initiatives (Rodriguez, 2024).

In conclusion, administrators, faculty, students, and legislators are among key stakeholders in this issue of abolishing inclusive policies and programs that support LGBTQ+ students during their first year, and beyond. College campus organizations serve as spaces for LGBTQ+ students to celebrate academic wins, cultural events, and one another. As 60% of LGBTQ+ college students experience frequent mental distress, depression, and/or anxiety (Gonzalez et al., 2023), centers are necessary for the survival of students and visibility of LGBTQ+ individuals who complete their degree. From the moment students step foot on campus, they should inherently be valued and respected as students’ part of a diverse student body. Resource centers, peer support, and anti-discrimination policies are first steps in restoring dismantled safe spaces.

References

Bridge, L., Smith, P., & Rimes, K. A. (2022). Self-esteem in sexual minority young adults: A qualitative interview study exploring protective factors and helpful coping responses. International Review of Psychiatry, 34(3/4), 257–265. https://doi-org.ezproxy.uky.edu/10.1080/09540261.2022.2051446

Flores, A. R., Stotzer, R. L., Meyer, I. H., & Langton, L. L. (2022). Hate crimes against LGBT people: National Crime Victimization Survey, 2017-2019. 17(12). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0279363

Gonzales, G., de Mola, E. L., Robertson, L., Gavulic, K. A., & McKay, T. (2023). LGBTQ college student health and wellbeing at the onset of the pandemic: Additional evidence and lessons learned from COVID-19. BMC Public Health, 23(1), 967–967. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15909-z

Luh, H.-J., Deleyer-Tiarks, J., Wojcik, H., & Mandracchia, F.. (2023). Preparing LGBTQ youth for the high school to college transition: a multidimensional approach. Journal of LGBT Youth, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/19361653.2023.2264830

Meyer, I. H. (2015). Resilience in the study of minority stress and health of sexual and gender minorities. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 2(3), 209–213. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000132

National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments. (n.d.). Voices from the Field. U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved July 13, 2024, from https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/voices-field/how-might-peer-counseling-help-lgbtq-students-fight-mental-health-issues-college

Pitcher, E. N., Camacho, T. P., Renn, K. A., & Woodford, M. R. (2018). Affirming policies, programs, and supportive services: Using an organizational perspective to understand LGBTQ+ college student success. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 11(2), 117–132. https://doi-org.ezproxy.uky.edu/10.1037/dhe0000048

Rankin, S., Garvey, J. C., & Duran, A. (2019). A retrospective of LGBT issues on US college campuses: 1990–2020. International Sociology, 34(4), 435–454. https://doi-org.ezproxy.uky.edu/10.1177/0268580919851429

Rodrigues, M. (2024). Texas students worry about mental health resources after closure of campus LGBTQ centers. The Dallas Morning News. https://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/2024/07/08/texas-students-worry-about-mental-health-resources-after-closure-of-campus-lgbtq-centers/

Rodriguez, M. (2024). The University of Utah LGBT student center is closing as anti-DEI law goes into effect. Them. https://www.them.us/story/university-of-utah-lgbt-center-closure-anti-dei-law

Schermele, Z. (2023). A college LGBTQ center disappeared: It wasn’t the only one. USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2023/10/19/university-lgbtq-centers-disappearing/71147364007/

Trevor Project. (2021). National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health 2021. Trevor Project. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/The-Trevor-Project-National-Survey-Results-2021.pdf

Ueno, K., D’Amours, J. V., Nix, A. N., Šaras, E. D., Grace, J., & Jackson, T. M. (2023). LGBQ college students’ divergent narratives of peer harassment in the southeastern US. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 16(2), 236–247. https://doi-org.ezproxy.uky.edu/10.1037/dhe0000258