The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 46, No. 3 - 31

Exploring LGBTQ+ Students' Awareness of Housing and Antidiscrimination Policies Across Institutional Type

institutions considered the implementation of
gender-neutral (also called gender-inclusive)
housing policies, few enacted such practices,
even though these policies benefit students in
general by allowing them to select roommates
on criteria beyond sex or gender (Krum, Davis
& Galupo, 2013).
Previous research established that the availability of specialized services for LGBTQ+ students varies across institutional type (Nguyen
et al., 2018); but studies did not consider how
awareness and presence of antidiscrimination
policies (e.g., sexual orientation, gender identity/expression) and LGBTQ+ specific housing
policies vary across institutional type. In this
study, we use over 900 survey responses from
the 2013 National Study of LGBTQ+ Student
Success to describe and explore students'
awareness of two types of institutional policies:
LGBTQ+ specific housing policies or living
spaces and antidiscrimination on the basis
of gender identity/expression and sexual orientation. Gender identity and expression are
different constructs on the National Study of
LGBTQ+ Student Success survey; however, for
the purposes of this study, we combined them
as they are often used interchangeably in institutional policies. We compare students' awareness of these policies and their awareness of
their existence across institutional types and
conclude with implications for practice including the need for creating and enhancing awareness and future research.

Stolzenberg, 2018; Rankin, Weber, Frazer,
& Blumenfeld, 2010; Renn, 2010). LGBTQ+
students are targets of micro and macroaggressions on campus, which contribute to
feelings of isolation and distress (Ebersole,
Noble, & Madson, 2012; Sue, 2010; Tetreault,
Fette, Medlinger, & Hope, 2013; Woodford,
Howell, Silverschanz, & Yu, 2012). Woodford
et al. (2012) found that experiencing microaggressions such as hearing "that's so gay!" on
campus was related to feelings of exclusion
and physical symptoms, such as frequent
headaches and stomachaches. More recent research found interpersonal microaggressions
to be risk factors for depression among cisgender LGBQ and trans* students and attempted
suicide among the former group (Woodford,
Weber, Nicolazzo, Hunt, Kulick, Coleman,
Coulombe, & Renn, 2018). Similarly, Garvey
and Rankin (2015) found LGBTQ+ students
lacked campus activities in which they felt
welcomed. Yet, emerging research indicates
that antidiscrimination policies play an important role in protecting students from discrimination. A study among cisgender LGBQ

LGBTQ+ students are gaining more
visibility on college campuses,
yet institutions are slow to better
support them.

LGBTQ+ College Student
Experiences on Campus
Many LGBTQ+ students experience unwelcoming climates and marginalizing experiences on U.S. college campuses (Greathouse,
BrckaLorenz, Hoban, Huesman, Rankin, &

students found that students on campuses
with antidiscrimination policies inclusive of
gender identity and sexual orientation report-

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The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 46, No. 3

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 46, No. 3
