Objective: This study is a replication of Russ et al.'s (2002) work, which showed that students' credibility beliefs about and perceived learning from a male university instructor were negatively affected when he identified as gay. Because the primary professional responsibility of community college faculty is teaching, and student evaluations may…

The purpose of this study was to identify and explore how curricula in queer studies at Community College of the Bay (CCB) reflect and ignore the lived experiences of Queer, Trans, Black, Indigenous, People of Color (QTBIPOC) by engaging queer studies students as co-researchers in virtual participatory action research (VPAR). This research…

Currently, a gap exists in the research on gay and lesbian students in community colleges. In this qualitative study, I examine experiences of gay and lesbian students in a rural, Midwestern community college. The literature review consists of a review of gay and lesbian student emergence in higher education, coming out, the relationship between…

Two-year institutions educate a sizeable proportion of college students; however, many of these institutions lack the variety of student support resources available at four-year institutions. An extensive body of scholarship has documented the positive influence of student services resources for diverse student populations at two-year colleges;…

LGBTQ+ students are increasingly visible on community college campuses, and a safe and welcoming campus climate is critical to LGBTQ+ students' academic success and well-being. Campus climate is difficult to assess for prospective LGBTQ+ community college students, and institutional websites may be a source of information about campus climate.…

The metamorphosis of core sexual practices and sexual orientation norms resulting from the acculturation of U.S. native and non-native residents remains an enigma. A convenience sample from a metropolitan community college was drawn to describe the consequences of acculturation on U.S. international students' core sexual practices and sexual…

Research has indicated that heteronormativity in ESOL classrooms may prevent lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ+) students from producing meaningful language output and negotiating their identities in new social contexts (e.g., Liddicoat, 2009). This study aimed to understand (a) how LGBTQ+ students perceive the framing of sexual…

This chapter details the perspectives of LGBTQ collegians and faculty/staff allies at 2-year institutions.

Many community colleges are unwelcoming to LGBTQ students and this chapter provides practical suggestions to community college leaders to develop a more inclusive campus culture.

Published annually since 1985, the Handbook series provides a compendium of thorough and integrative literature reviews on a diverse array of topics of interest to the higher education scholarly and policy communities. Each chapter provides a comprehensive review of research findings on a selected topic, critiques the research literature in terms…

In 1976, at the age of 18, the author realized she was a lesbian but did not tell anyone. It was rather odd that she found coming out to be so difficult. She started dating boys when she was 15, married the first time at 18 and again at 26. Telling her secret--that she was attracted to women--would have complicated an already busy life. Being…

This study examines campus climate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) undergraduate students at community colleges. Data for the study originates from Rankin, Blumenfeld, Weber, and Frazer's (2010) "State of Higher Education for LGBT People." We analyzed both quantitative data generated from closed-ended…

In March 2000, an "ERIC Digest" was published on the status of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students on community college campuses. It was immediately apparent that there was a dearth of literature on the subject, nor was research being conducted about these student populations. The "Digest" examined some possible reasons why. This…

I spent the first two years of college at a two-year community in southern California. I had very sheltered high school experience, so attending college was exciting for me. In high school, I wasn't involved in extracurricular activities or organizations other than choir, and I didn't share my sexual orientation with others. College, I hoped, was…

This dissertation investigates how a gay literacy worker's coming out helped change the campus discourse surrounding sexuality. Through an ethnographic examination of this English instructor and the community college where he taught composition and literature for nearly thirty years, the study illustrates a rhetorical situation where a gap in…