journal_vol49no2 - 15

Gender-Inclusive Housing: A Second Look
The original study was inspired by the work of DeCoster (1979), who traced the
state of coeducational housing as it was emerging from 1967 to 1978. Over that time,
the number of colleges and universities offering then-controversial coeducational
housing increased from 51% to 85%, and, by 2009, more than 90% of college students
lived in coeducational housing (Willoughby & Carroll, 2009, p. 241). Several authors
have raised the question of whether the emergence of an often-controversial housing
option may be similar to that of coeducational housing (Bleiberg, 2004; Taub et al.,
2016; Willoughby et al., 2012).
Several terms are used to describe the practice of allowing students to live with
one another in campus housing without regard to their gender identity. Taub and colleagues
(2016) used the term gender-neutral housing; however, we have chosen the term
gender-inclusive housing in this study, as we noted an increase in the use of the word
" inclusive " by other authors (e.g., Krum et al., 2013; Nicolazzo et al., 2018). In quoting
other authors, we will use the terminology they used.
AN OVERVIEW OF GENDER-INCLUSIVE HOUSING
Many studies have documented that LGBTQ+ students have not always found residence
halls to be welcoming or safe environments and that they encounter lack of
support, negative attitudes, microaggressions, discrimination, hostility, and bullying
from roommates, peers, and even resident assistants in the residence halls (Amos
et al., 2021; Fanucce & Taub; 2010; Kortegast, 2017). Such hostile environments are
associated with negative perceptions of the overall residential environment and with a
reduced sense of belonging (Fanucce & Taub, 2010).
Many scholars have advocated for providing GIH as an on-campus housing option
to serve LGBTQ+ students (Amos et al., 2021; Beemyn et al., 2005; Bleiberg, 2004;
Garvey et al., 2018; Nicolazzo et al., 2018) in order to promote a greater sense of inclusion
and safety for them on college and university campuses (Beemyn et al., 2005;
Krum et al., 2013). The availability of gender-inclusive housing can influence the decisions
of transgender and other gender diverse students to attend a particular institution
(Krum et al., 2013), while the lack of GIH policies is associated with lower engagement
for transgender students (Woodford et al., 2017). Although gender-inclusive housing
does not address all the needs of transgender students, Wagner and colleagues (2018)
concluded that it was " better than most " (p. 31) housing options available to them.
GIH can also provide a more comfortable living environment for other students,
as the option is typically not offered exclusively to transgender and gender diverse
students. For example, GIH can offer a safe space for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and queer
students who would find living with a roommate of the same sex awkward and uncomfortable,
or even unsafe (Nguyen et al., 2020). The literature reflects the growth of
gender-inclusive housing in terms of the number of campuses offering it as a housing
option. In 2012 the number was reported to be " rather limited " (Willoughby et al.,
2012, p. 737). As of January 7, 2022, according to the Campus Pride Index (2022)
and the Campus Pride Trans Policy Clearinghouse, 425 U.S. colleges and universities
provided gender-inclusive housing. No comprehensive, systematic investigation of the
12 The Journal of College and University Student Housing

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