Becoming a Tempered Radical: Student Affairs Administrators as Advocates for LGBTQ Students at Eight Higher Education Institutions in the South

Abstract

This narrative study examines how student affairs administrators in eight institutions in the southern United States became change agents in higher education for LGBTQ students. Participants shared stories of their identity development, turning points about needs of LGBTQ students, and their choice to advocate in higher education. Implications for practice in higher education and student affairs are discussed.

Notes

¹ We use the term LGBTQ to represent the wide continuum of individuals who have been historically marginalized because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. This abbreviated term is not all-inclusive and, as educators, we understand the importance of not limiting how an individual chooses to identify. This term also represents the language used by participants in this study.

² For this study, we utilize the definition of the American South by the U.S. Census Bureau to include Washington, DC and the following states: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware (United States Census Bureau, n.d.).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Christopher Broadhurst

^a

Christopher Broadhurst ([email protected]) is associate professor of higher education at the University of New Orleans. His research agenda focuses on both historical and contemporary activism.

Georgianna Martin

^b

Georgianna Martin ([email protected]) is assistant professor in college student affairs administration in the Department of Counseling and Human Development Services at the University of Georgia. Her research interests include social class identity and campus activism.