The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 2 - 61

Narrative of LGBTQ Students' Experiences in Campus Housing

While there is literature outlining best
practices for supporting transgender students
in housing (e.g., Beemyn, Curtis, Davis, &
Tubbs, 2005, Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals, 2014),
there is little empirical research about transgender students' experiences in housing.
Studies that include transgender students
suffer from low numbers of participants. For
instance, Fanucce and Taub (2010) and Herbst
and Malaney (1999) only had one participant
who identified as transgender. A more recent
ethnographic study exploring the experiences
of nine transgender students indicated that
transgender students found living on campus
alienating or frustrating (Nicolazzo, 2016).
For many of the students, in order for them
"to practice resilience" (p. 549) they needed to
move off campus. Moving off campus has consequences, as students who live off campus are
not as connected and involved in the campus
community, which impacts persistence rates
(Mayhew et al., 2016). Moreover, Seelman's
(2014) quantitative study utilizing the National
Transgender Discrimination Survey found that
81% of transgender students indicated not
having access to gender-appropriate housing.
However, transgender students who held multiple marginalized identities were the most at
risk of not having access to appropriate spaces
including housing and bathrooms.

Residential Life Staff
LGBT students' perceptions of residence life
staff affect their experiences within the residence halls. For instance, students in Herbst
and Malaney's (1999) study indicated the importance of having supportive residence life
staff including the resident assistant (RA). Participants indicated having "out" staff members

promoted "a safe feeling on the floor" and
"provided role models" (p. 112). This finding
mirrored Evans and Briodo's (1999; 2002)
findings regarding being around supportive
people and having LGB role models as factors
that influence students' decision to come out.
Additionally, residence life staff who "actively
confronted homophobic acts and showed their

Students who had negative
experiences with RAs were more
likely to express negative feelings
about their residence hall experience
and not recommend living or being
out in the residence halls.

support by providing information on lesbian,
gay, and bisexual topics" helped make the residence hall seem more comfortable (Evans &
Broido, 2002, p. 29).
However, LGB students have reported
mixed experiences with residence life professionals, especially RAs. LGB students in Evans,
Reason, and Broido's (2001) study expected
RAs to be open and knowledgeable about LGB
issues; however, this was not always the case.
Students who had negative experiences with
RAs were more likely to express negative feelings about their residence hall experience and
not recommend living or being out in the residence halls. While studies have indicated the
importance of having "out" residence life staff
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The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 2

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 2