The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 2 - 67

Narrative of LGBTQ Students' Experiences in Campus Housing

Camden, who was living off campus, added,
"arguably there are places where I could [live
on campus], but it's not the space that I would
need."

DISCUSSION
The prior narrative provides several insights
into how LGBTQ students navigate and experience living in campus housing. While
the narrative presented is a composite story,
it is important to remember that it is based
on the actual experiences of LGBTQ students
using direct quotes from their interviews. In
general, students shared mixed experiences
living in the residence halls. In discussing
Stevens Hall and creating Clark projects, students highlighted the importance of special
interest housing as a way to promote inclusion and attend to students' interests. While
these housing options were seen as inclusive
spaces and opportunities to develop their own
communities, they were not available to all
students, as they required students to apply.
As the students discussed, in order to live in
Stevens or Clark, students had to participate in
an interview and be liked. Implicitly, what was
being communicated is that not all housing
options on campus are inclusive, welcoming,
or available to all LGBTQ students.
During the narrative and interviews, students relied upon information provided by
their peers to figure out which residence halls
were seen as safer or more inclusive. Additionally, LGBTQ peers were helpful in providing
guidance on who to talk to in the residential life
department regarding the process for receiving housing accommodations. Often this information is not easily accessible on websites.
However, this process also requires students to

"out" themselves in the process. Applying for
accommodations or to live in special interest
housing often requires LGBTQ students to disclose personal information about themselves
to administrators in which they have had
limited interactions.
While many residence life and housing departments promote community and inclusive
practices, including the research site for this
study, the lived experiences of LGBTQ students
in their residence halls do not always align
with these espoused values. Students did not
always feel supported by housing professionals (e.g., Alex and his RA) or did not believe
that they would be able to stop incidents of harassment (e.g., Sadie's suitemates). Moreover,
despite having a four-year residency requirement, because of lack of housing due to construction, students were able to apply to live
off campus. The three transgender/genderqueer students in this study discussed either
living off campus or plans to move off campus
because of housing policies restricting with
whom they could live. Living off campus potentially could lead to more social isolation and
less connection to campus resources (Mayhew
et al, 2016). While doubtful that the housing
department goal was to push transgender
students out of campus housing, the department should not let interest convergence drive
decision-making. Convenient solutions to a
temporary housing shortage should not trump
developing equitable and affirming housing
options and policies for transgender students.
Using a strength-based approach provides another lens to understand the prior
narrative. The strength-based approach, according to Stewart, Renn, and Brazelton

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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

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