Fighting for survival: The experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning students in religious colleges and universities

ABSTRACT

Little is known about the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) students attending religious colleges and universities. This study used grounded theory to analyze the narratives (N = 271) of LGBTQ former and current students. The central theme described by LGBTQ students was a fight for survival with five subthemes: (a) institutionalized homo/transphobia (strict school policies, enforcement of heterosexuality and gender conformity through discipline, conversion therapy); (b) a culture of fear (fear of exposure, homophobic panic and code words, seeking cover); (c) marginalization and isolation; (d) struggle (suffering and suicide, reconciling faith and LGBTQ identity); and (e) coping and resilience (surviving through critical thinking and strategic activism). Implications for practice are provided.

KEYWORDS:

• gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students
• religious colleges and universities
• hegemony
• religious abuse

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the inspirational LGBTQ students for sharing their wisdom and experiences for this study and Lauren McInroy for her incisive edits.