Journal of College & University Student Housing Vol 49, No. 1 - 98

Examples included living in the same building but on a different floor or being a member
of the LLC with access to events but living in a different location.
Anytime your parents would like to visit, family you know, there's a huge barrier of feeling
unsafe. I feel like a good medium would be to offer open attendance. The LLC events can
be broadcast through the LGBTQ center, and even if you're not a part of the LLC, you can
definitely attend the events, student/staff run events, so you don't have to live in it to go
to those things. It's not exclusive.
Despite bringing up some concerns about safety, they also highlighted how an LLC
like this alleviated other concerns. When thinking about roommates, a student shared,
I think that could also be good especially for incoming freshmen or just people who
are getting placed with a random roommate because if you do want to be out but you're
not entirely sure how your roommate is going to react to that, it can help prevent some
of that tension.
Another student shared the following: " I think it would just be a more comfortable
atmosphere because you won't have to be worried about if someone is homophobic or
like your roommate is gonna get freaked out by you or something. It's just more understanding. "
These students emphasized how important a roommate is to the residential
experience, and creating this LLC could alleviate students' concern about having a
roommate that is unaccepting of their identities.
Bathrooms in residential settings can also be problematic for these students. Common
bathrooms in a suite-style (shared with a few suitemates) or hall-style (shared by
multiple people on a floor) building can be a significant obstacle for LGBTQ+ students
in an LLC. Some students noted that this arrangement could help develop community
among students, but most emphasized the importance of having other options for
those who need them. Bathrooms were emphasized in every one of our focus groups,
and students advocated for multiple single-use bathrooms within the LLC.
There needs to be more than one single-occupancy bathroom in the entire residence hall
because most of [the residence halls on this campus] have one for the entire building.
If you have more than one person, which you probably do, who would like to use that
bathroom, that can be a problem. And very few have a shower . . . almost none of them
have a shower that's for single occupancy.
One cannot overemphasize how having bathrooms that meet the needs of our students
supports their well-being and belonging.
Overall, an LGBTQ+ LLC presents some additional safety and well-being concerns
regarding sharing information and physical location. Students told stories that
demonstrated the impact an LLC would have on roommate assignments, bathroom
access, and in alleviating concerns and negative impacts on their well-being and
sense of belonging.
Volume 49, No. 1 * 2022 95

Journal of College & University Student Housing Vol 49, No. 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Journal of College & University Student Housing Vol 49, No. 1