Limited research on queer and transgender college student retention has led to a lack of understanding of the institutional structures that support these collegians. Moreover, what scholarship does exist oftentimes uses power-neutral lenses to explain the factors that lead to the retention of queer and transgender students. Using intersectionality as an analytic framework to illustrate the necessity of framing issues of retention with attention to overlapping systems of power and oppression provides a challenge to the existing literature. This article provides examples of higher education practices and policies from the perspectives of structural, representational, and political intersectionality. Implications for research and practice are offered.
AguilarD.JohnsonJ. M. (2017). Queer faculty and staff of color: Experiences and expectations. In JohnsonJ. M.JavierG. (Eds.), Queer people of color in higher education (pp. 57–72).
Charlotte, NC:
Information Age Publishing Inc.
2.
BilimoriaD.StewartA. J. (2009). “
Don’t ask, don’t tell”: The academic climate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender faculty in science and engineering. NWSA Journal,
21(2), 85–103.
3.
BlockettR. A. (2017). ‘
I think it’s very much placed on us’: Black queer men laboring to forge community at a predominantly white and (hetero) cisnormative research institution. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education,
30(8), 800–816.
4.
BlumenfeldW. J.WeberG. N.RankinS. (2016). In our own voice: Campus climate as a mediating factor in the persistence of LGBT students, faculty, and staff in higher education. In Chamness MillerP.MikulecE. (Eds.), Queering classrooms: Personal narratives and educational practices to support LGBTQ youth in schools (pp. 1–20).
Charlotte, NC:
Information Age Publishing Inc.
5.
BraxtonJ. M.BrierE. M.SteeleS. L. (2007).
Shaping retention from research to practice. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice,
9(3), 377–399.
6.
BrazeltonG. B.RennK. A.StewartD.-L. (2015). Recommendations. In StewartD.-L.RennK. A.BrazeltonG. B. (Eds.), Gender and sexual diversity in U.S. higher education: Contexts and opportunities for LGBTQ college students: New directions for student services, no. 152 (pp. 85–94).
San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass.
7.
CarbadoD. W.CrenshawK. W.MaysV. M.TomlinsonB. (2013).
Intersectionality: Mapping the movements of a theory. Du Bois Review,
10(2), 303–312.
8.
ChoS. (2013).
Post-intersectionality: The curious reception of intersectionality in legal scholarship. Du Bois Review,
10(2), 385–404.
9.
CollinsP. H. (1990). Black feminist thought: Knowledge, consciousness and the politics of empowerment.
New York, NY:
Routledge.
10.
CollinsP. H. (2015).
Intersectionality’s definitional dilemmas. Annual Review of Sociology,
41(1), 1–20.
Combahee River Collective. (1977/1993). A Black feminist statement. In HullG.ScottP. B.SmithB. (Eds.), All the women are white, all the blacks are men, but some of us are brave: Black women’s studies (pp. 13–22).
New York, NY:
Feminist Press at CUNY.
13.
CrenshawK. (1989).
Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A Black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory, and antiracist politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum,
8(1), 139–167.
14.
CrenshawK. (1991).
Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color. Stanford Law Review,
43(6), 1241–1299.
15.
DillB. T.ZambranaR. E. (2009). Critical thinking about inequality: An emerging lens. In DillB. T.ZambranaR. E. (Eds.), Emerging intersections: Race, class, and gender in theory, policy, and practice (pp. 1–21).
New Brunswick, NJ:
Rutgers University Press.
16.
DuranA. (2019). An intersectional grounded theory study examining identity exploration for queer collegians of color at historically white institutions (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH.
17.
DuranA.JonesS. R. (in press). Intersectionality. In. CaseyZ. A. (Ed.), Critical understandings in education encyclopedia: Critical whiteness studies.
Boston, MA:
Brill/Sense Publishing.
18.
DuranA.NicolazzoZ. (2017).
Exploring the ways trans* collegians navigate academic, romantic, and social relationships. Journal of College Student Development,
58(4), 526–544.
19.
EvansR.NagoshiJ. L.NagoshiC.WheelerJ.HendersonJ. (2017).
Voices from the stories untold: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer college students’ experiences with campus climate. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services,
29(4), 426–444.
20.
FineL. E. (2016). “
I can’t do this right now”: Social integration, significant other support, and LGB educational trajectories. Sociological Focus,
49(3), 215–230.
21.
GarveyJ. C.ChangS. H.NicolazzoZ.JacksonR. (Ed.). (2018). Trans* policies and experiences in housing and residence life.
Stylus, VA:
Sterling.
22.
GarveyJ. C.SquireD. D.StachlerB.RankinS. (2018).
The impact of campus climate on queer-spectrum student academic success. Journal of LGBT Youth,
15(2), 89–105.
23.
GarveyJ. C.TaylorJ. L.RankinS. (2015).
An examination of campus climate for LGBTQ community college students. Community College Journal of Research and Practice,
39(6), 527–541.
24.
Goode-CrossD. T.TagerD. (2011).
Negotiating multiple identities: How African-American gay and bisexual men persist at a predominantly white institution. Journal of Homosexuality,
58(9), 1235–1254.
25.
GriffinK. A.MuseusS. D. (2011). Application of mixed-methods approaches to higher education and intersectional analyses. In GriffinK. A.MuseusS. D. (Eds.), Using mixed-methods approaches to study intersectionality in higher education: New directions for institutional research, no. 151 (pp. 15–26).
San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass.
26.
HarperS. R.QuayeS. J. (2015). Making engagement equitable for students in U.S. higher education. In QuayeS. J.HarperS. R. (Eds.), Student engagement in higher education: Theoretical perspectives and practical approaches for diverse populations (2nd ed., pp. 1–14).
New York, NY:
Routledge.
27.
HarrisJ. C.PattonL. D. (2017).
The challenges and triumphs in addressing students’ intersectional identities for Black culture centers. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education,
10(4), 334–349.
28.
HarrisJ. C.PattonL. D. (2019).
Un/doing intersectionality through higher education research. The Journal of Higher Education,
90(3), 347–372.
29.
HutchinsonD. L. (2001).
Identity crisis: Intersectionality, multidimensionality, and the development of an adequate theory of subordination. Michigan Journal of Race and Law,
6, 285–317.
30.
JohnsonJ. M.JavierG. C. (2017). An introduction and overview to QPOC in higher education. In JohnsonJ. M.JavierG. C. (Eds.), Queer people of color in higher education (pp. 1–7).
Charlotte, NC:
Information Age Publishing Inc.
31.
KendallF. E.WijeyesingheC. L. (2017). Advancing social justice work at the intersections of multiple privileged identities. In WijeyesingheC. L. (Ed.), Enacting intersectionality in student affairs: New directions for student services, no. 157 (pp. 91–100).
San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass.
32.
KortegastC. A.van der ToornM. (2018).
Other duties not assigned: Experiences of lesbian and gay student affairs professionals at small colleges and universities. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education,
11(3), 268–278.
33.
KrumT. E.DavisK. S.GalupoM. P. (2013).
Gender-inclusive housing preferences: A survey of college-aged transgender students. Journal of LGBT Youth,
10(1–2), 64–82.
34.
KwanP. (1997).
Jeffrey Dahmer and the cosynthesis of categories. Hastings Law Journal,
48(6), 1257–1292.
35.
LevitzR.NoelL. (1989). Connecting students to institutions: Keys to retention and success. In UpcraftM. L.GardnerJ. N. & Associates (Eds.), The freshman year experience: Helping students survive and succeed in college (pp. 65–81).
San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass.
36.
LinleyJ. L.NguyenD. J. (2015). LGBTQ experiences in curricular contexts. In StewartD.-L.RennK. A.BrazeltonG. B. (Eds.), Gender and sexual diversity in U.S. higher education: Contexts and opportunities for LGBTQ college students: New directions for student services, no. 152 (pp. 41–53).
San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass.
37.
MayV. M. (2012). Historicizing intersectionality as theory and method: Returning to the work of Anna Julia Cooper. In FaulknerC.WolcottV.ParkerA. (Eds.), Interconnections: Gender and race in American history (pp. 17–50).
Rochester, NY:
University of Rochester.
38.
MayV. M. (2015). Pursuing intersectionality, unsettling dominant imaginaries.
New York, NY:
Routledge.
39.
MayhewM. J.RockenbachA. N.BowmanN. A.SeifertT. A.WolniakG. C. (2016). How college affects students: 21st century evidence that higher education works (Vol. 3).
San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass.
40.
MillerR. A. (2015). “
Sometimes you feel invisible”: Performing queer/disabled in the university classroom. Educational Forum,
79(4), 377–393.
41.
MillerR. A. (2018).
Toward intersectional identity perspectives on disability and LGBTQ identities in higher education. Journal of College Student Development,
59(3), 327–346.
42.
MillerR. A.VaccaroA. (2016).
Queer student leaders of color: Leadership as authentic, collaborative, culturally competent. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice,
53(1), 39–50.
43.
MitchellD.Jr.MeansD. R. (2014). “
Quadruple consciousness”: A literature review and new theoretical consideration for understanding the experiences of Black gay and bisexual college men at predominantly white institutions. Journal of African American Males in Education,
5(1), 23–25.
44.
MoradiB.GrzankaP. R. (2017).
Using intersectionality responsibly: Toward critical epistemology, structural analysis, and social justice activism. Journal of Counseling Psychology,
64(5), 500–513.
45.
NicolazzoZ. (2016). ‘
It’s a hard line to walk’: Black non-binary trans* collegians’ perspectives on passing, realness, and trans*-normativity. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education,
29(9), 1173–1188.
46.
NicolazzoZ.MarineS. B. (2015). “
It will change if people keep talking”: Trans* students in college and university housing. Journal of College & University Student Housing,
42(1), 160–177.
47.
NicolazzoZ.MarineS. B.WagnerR. (2018).
From best to intentional practices: Reimagining implementation of gender-inclusive housing. Journal of Student Affairs and Practice,
55(2), 225–236.
48.
NoraA.BarlowE.CrispG. (2005). Student persistence and degree attainment beyond the first year in college. In SeidmanA. (Ed.), College student retention: Formula for student success (pp. 129–153).
Westport, CT:
Praeger Publishers.
49.
PattonL. D. (2010). (Ed.). Culture centers in higher education: Perspectives on identity, theory, and practice.
Sterling, VA:
Stylus.
50.
PitcherE. N. (2018). Being and becoming professionally other: Identities, voices, and experiences of U.S. trans* academics.
New York, NY:
Peter Lang.
51.
PitcherE. N.CamachoT. P.RennK. A.WoodfordM. R. (2018).
Affirming policies, programs, and supportive services: Using an organizational perspective to understand LGBTQ+ college student success. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education,
11(2), 117–132.
52.
PryorJ. T.TaD.HartJ. (2016).
Searching for home: Transgender students and experiences with residential housing. College Student Affairs Journal,
34(2), 43–60.
53.
RankinS.GarveyJ. C. (2015). Identifying, quantifying, and operationalizing queer-spectrum and trans-spectrum students: Assessment and research in student affairs. In StewartD.-L.RennK. A.BrazeltonG. B. (Eds.), Gender and sexual diversity in U.S. higher education: Contexts and opportunities for LGBTQ college students (New Directions for Student Services, No. 152, pp. 73–84).
San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass.
54.
RennK. A. (2010).
LGBT and queer research in higher education: The state and status of the field. Educational Researcher,
39(2), 132–141.
55.
RevillaA. T. (2010).
Raza womyn—Making it safer to be queer: Student organizations as retention tools in higher education. Black Women, Gender + Families,
4(1), 37–61.
56.
SanloR. (2004).
Lesbian, gay, and bisexual college students: Risk, resiliency, and retention. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice,
6(1), 91–110.
57.
SanloR.EspinozaL. (2012).
Risk and retention: Are LGBTQ students staying in your community college?Community College Journal of Research and Practice,
36(7), 475–481.
58.
SchuddeL. T. (2011).
The causal effect of campus residency on college student retention. Review of Higher Education,
34(4), 581–610.
59.
SeelmanK. L.WoodfordM. R.NicolazzoZ. (2017).
Victimization and microaggressions targeting LGBTQ college students: Gender identity as a moderator of psychological distress. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work,
26(1–2), 112–125.
60.
StrayhornT. L. (2019). Sense of belonging and ethnic gay male college students. InStrayhorn (Ed.)T. L., College students’ sense of belonging: A key to educational success for all students(2nd ed., pp. 59–72).
New York, NY:
Routledge.
61.
StrayhornT. L.BlakewoodA. M.DeVitaJ. M. (2008).
Factors affecting the college choice of African American gay male undergraduates: Implications for retention. NASPA Journal,
11(1), 88–108.
62.
VaccaroA. (2012).
Campus microclimates for LGBT faculty, staff, and students: An exploration of the intersections of social identity and campus roles. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice,
49(4), 429–446.
63.
VaccaroA.MenaJ. A. (2011).
It’s not burnout, it’s more: Queer college activists of color and mental health. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health,
15(4), 339–367.
64.
WoodfordM. R.KulickA. (2015).
Academic and social integration on campus among sexual minority students: The impacts of psychological and experiential campus climate. American Journal of Community Psychology,
55(1–2), 13–24.
65.
WoodfordM. R.KulickA.GarveyJ. C.SincoB. R. (2018).
LGBTQ policies and resources on campus and the experiences and psychological well-being of sexual minority college students: Advancing research on structural inclusion. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity,
5(4), 445–456.
