Exploring Contributions to Transgender College Students' Sense of Belonging and Identity Validation

Abstract

Transgender and gender non-conforming (trans*) students are growing in visibility and advocacy in the higher education landscape, yet students must navigate a collegiate environment not historically structured to meet their needs (Herman et al., 2022; Nicolazzo, 2017). This mixed-methods research study examined the higher education institutional characteristics that trans* college students perceive as supporting their sense of belonging and validating their identity. Forty trans* college students/recent graduates and 10 college diversity staff from 11 Maryland colleges and universities participated in a survey. Using Likert-scale and open-ended questions, the survey inquired about the presence/absence of 14 institutional characteristics and the extent to which these characteristics support belonging and validate identity for trans* students. The study confirms that seven of the 14 institutional characteristics are particularly perceived as supporting both sense of belonging and identity validation. The institutional characteristics include a process to prevent students from being “outed” without their consent; trans-inclusive clubs/activities; trans-specific professional development for faculty/staff; genderneutral bathrooms across campus; professors asking students to share preferred name/pronouns in a safe, respectful manner; an anti-discrimination policy that includes gender/trans* identity; and the opportunity for students to disclose trans* identity during the admissions process. The study revealed that the students’ year in college and institution type influence perceptions of support for belonging and identity validation. Level of family social support and race, while potentially having an impact on some students’ perceptions, did not show significant associations for belonging and identity validation in the results of this research study. Results show that staff and students from the same institution do not always perceive the support of institutional characteristics identically. For example, there was agreement that trans-inclusive clubs/activities; gender-neutral bathrooms across campus; professors asking students to share name/pronouns in a safe, respectful manner; and trans* history reflected in the curriculum all contribute to belonging and validation. However, there were discrepancies in perceptions of staff and students when it came to the support of an anti-discrimination policy. This study magnifies the voices of trans* college students, many of whom identify as non-binary, and demonstrates that there are myriad trans* experiences that cannot be stereotyped into one singular narrative. Further, the study promotes a shift from reactive to proactive supports for trans* college students by confirming seven institutional characteristics that support students’ sense of belonging and identity validation as they pursue their academic goals.