The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 45, No. 1 - 32

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housing infrastructure would not be prepared
to support their gender identity.
Colby also addressed appreciation for the
opportunity that gender-inclusive housing afforded: the ability to share a living space with
someone who shared their gender identity.
But you know, my suite for the most part is
super positive . . . it's nice living with another
non-binary queer person of color. We get
along so well; it's really nice to hang out with
them and just stuff like that . . . I really do
appreciate having that in my living space,
which is something that I'm going to miss
next year.
Given a housing system that is predicated on
its assumption of a gender binary, the ability
to share living space with someone who identiﬁed similarly to them was a luxury.
While Colby hailed the support of having
someone with a shared identity, Carter's value
for gender-inclusive housing stemmed from
its potential for shielding them from unpleasantness. Carter noted how gender-inclusive
housing decreased the likelihood of being subjected to diminishing and dehumanizing treatment in their living environment.
I feel no one's going to come into my room
and talk anything that's disrespectful to my
identities, and it just feels comfortable and
normal. That's like basically (how) I can
explain it. It's mundane and it's like there's
no anxiety behind it.
For Carter, gender-inclusive housing
offered a space to relax without fear of having
their sense of self attacked, rejected, or
ignored. Gender-inclusive housing constituted
a safe space for them on campus, and getting
in was a matter of some urgency. Darrin was in

a similar position. They needed this housing
because it offered support that was not provided by family, and Darrin noted that "I love
it here and you know, things are a lot less, um,
things are still hard but I have support when
I am here. Whereas when I go home, I don't
have anything."
For these students, gender-inclusive
housing provided a respite within a university
community and societal context that is actively
hostile to their identities. Students noted that
this housing option gave them the possibility of a safe space where their identities were
visible, accepted, and welcomed-an outcome
that is not assured in other environments
they may frequent, such as the classroom, the
student organization, or their family of origin.
For a lucky few, like Colby, this housing option
not only offered the possibility of physical and
emotional safety, but it provided access to peers
who shared multiple minoritized identities.

Access and Accessibility?
Students had disparate experiences accessing gender-inclusive housing depending on
the campus and, at times, within the same
campus. Some campuses allowed students to
check a box and then contacted them to discuss
options. Others had application processes for
thematic communities, which, perhaps inevitably, resulted in students' differing opinions
on institutional motives. This practice raised a
question: Does this weed out the "straight" kids
who are gaming the system, preserving it for
the trans* and non-binary folks who need safe
housing accommodations, or is it a perfunctory step and, ultimately, all students who go
through the effort are granted access? Others
expressed how challenging it was to access

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The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 45, No. 1

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