How 'gay-friendly' are our universities?Findings from a survey of LGBT students in the UK

Dr Sonja J. Ellis

Why is this issue important?

• It directly relates to the Government’s agenda of widening participation in Higher Education.

• University is often the first time young people have been away from home and able to explore their identity. For many LGBT students, university is the first time they have encountered openly LGB or T role models.

The Sample

• 291 LGBT students from 42 Universities.

• 57% male, 42% female, 1% unspecified.

• Aged 18-52 (X = 22)

• 87.6% were undergraduates

The Questionnaire

• 25 questions (predominantly 5pt likert, but some forced-choice and open-ended) administered electronically.

• Actual experience of homophobia and perceptions of ‘gay-friendliness’ of university.

• Self-selecting sample by direct request to university-based LGBT societies/student unions.

Actual Harassment/Discrimination

• 23.4% indicated that they had been a victim of homophobic harassment/discrimination since being at university

• 70% of those incidents were perpetrated by other students.

Frequently/

quite often

Sometimes Seldom/

Never

4. How often have you heard lecturers or tutors stereotyping, making negative remarks, or telling jokes which put down LGBT persons?

2.7% 14.1% 82.8%

5. How often have you heard friends (at university) stereotyping, making negative remarks, or telling jokes which put down LGBT persons?

28.8% 39.5% 29.9%

6. How often have you heard other students stereotyping, making negative remarks, or telling jokes which put down LGBT persons?

31.3% 35.4% 32.3%

Table 1: Frequency of anti-LGBT sentiment by source (%)

*(Chi2 = 356.128, df = 2, p<.001)

Homophobic Incidents...

My first year, 1 of the 3 people I was randomly assigned to share a flat with turned out to be homophobic and acted very disrespectfully towards me. My second year, I moved, and the 1 person out of two that the university selected to share my flat in the second year was very homophobic, saying things like "better dead then gay" and threatening me several times. Friends sometimes call things "gay", and the Christian Union tries to 'save' us by treating us like a disease. (#3242)

A male gay student had his halls of residence door kicked in. An Asian male gay student has had verbal abuse from his 'friends' which at one point culminated in him having urine thrown over him. 'Gay' is used extensively as an insult. (#3299)

I know of two guys who found a disabled (wheelchair bound) guy’s gaydar photos (partially naked) and then pinned them to his room door in our halls of residence out of his reach. They remained there for over 24 hours before they were removed. (#3025)

We have recently run our LGBT Awareness Week, all of the LGBT volunteers and our committee were quite surprised at the anti-gay feelings of some students that we hadn’t ever noticed before. For example – we gave out flyers, lollys and other things in front of our library, whilst decorating the library with rainbow colours. Many people openly avoided us, took the flyer and seeing what it was about gave it back to us, or approached us to ask what was going only to step away with a frightened look when they found out! (#2949)

The Debating Society put forward the motion “The LGB should be banned because it promotes segregation” They failed to apply this motion to the Christian Union, Islamic Society, Afrocarribean Society, etc. (#2990)

Regular use of defamatory remarks (fag/batty/poof/gay/ etc.), as a medical school we also deal with patients and the frequent stereotyping of certain patient groups within certain medical disciplines. (#3297)

Perceptions of Campus Climate

• The majority of respondents (79.4%) thought than an LGBT person was unlikely/very unlikely to be harassed on campus.

• Most respondents thought that students would seldom/never have their personal property defaced or vandalised (90.0%), or experience direct verbal harassment (70.1%) because they were thought/known to be LGBT.

Campus Climate and Outness

• 77.7% agreed or strongly agreed that they felt comfortable about being out on campus.

Those identifying as Bisexual were significantly more likely (Chi2 = 9.683, df = 2, p=.008) to feel comfortable about being out than were those identifying as Lesbian or Gay.

Male respondents identifying as Gay were least likely to feel comfortable about being out on campus.

But when asked ‘since being at university have you ever…’

• …feared for your safety because of your sexual orientation or gender identity? 23.4% said yes

• …deliberately concealed your sexual orientation or gender identity to avoid intimidation? 54.3% said yes

• …avoided disclosing your sexual orientation or gender identity to a tutor, lecturer, supervisor or other staff member of the university due to fear of negative consequences? 40.5% said yes

• The problem is that visible homophobia is pretty much illegal now at British unis, and academics aren’t allowed to act on it openly. However, one always worries if they can discriminate against you and you’ll never know… so you end up keeping your sexuality in the closet simply because you know it is likely there will be some people who dislike your identity enough to treat you badly, and that you can’t identify them, so the only safe option is to stay in the closet.(#3242)

LGBT Inclusiveness

• Although I know the sexuality of some of my tutors (some of which actually told me themselves) and LGBT issues are being raised to a higher degree at the moment, I feel that the university itself does not fully, not advertise, but neither offer any fully obvious support for LGBT students other than of guidance to the LGBT forum within the student union (# 3006)

agree/

strongly agree

don’t know

disagree/

strongly disagree

The university thoroughly addresses campus issues related to sexual orientation/gender identity

39.2% 23.4% 36.8%

agree/

strongly agree

don’t know

disagree/

strongly disagree

The university provides visible resources on LGBT issues/concerns

58.4% 7.9% 33.3%

• Curriculum content needs to be drastically improved – nursing coverage of LGBT issues revolves around STDs – one lesson in a 3 year programme! (#3080)

agree/

strongly agree

don’t know

disagree/

strongly disagree

LGBT issues are adequately represented within the curriculum

17.5% 29.9% 52.2%

• In sexual health education classes the whole class has made humour of gay men’s sexual health issues, as encouraged by the facilitator. At its worst one comment extended to “it makes me sick” on discussing gay sexual practices. The comment was unchallenged. They were all medical students, the facilitator a student doctor and the observer a doctor. This was in my first week of medical school – before I had come out. (#3093)

agree/

strongly agree

don’t know

disagree/

strongly disagree

I feel comfortable raising LGBT issues in class

37.8% 15.1% 46.8%

Conclusion

• Whilst homophobia on campus is not an overwhelming problem, it is still a significant problem.

Suggestions for Positive Change

• Address LGBT issues in class• Create an LGBT soc• Provide more support and better resources• Better publicise LGBT events or points of

contact• Provide an accessible ‘safe space’ for LGBT

students• Improve visibility of LGBT support persons• Ensure that other student groups are acting in

accordance with non-discrimination policy

• Courses can do more to teach people about LGBT people or at least provide cases studies in lectures that are appropriate. This did happen on my course but many people began to voice “I don’t see why we should have to learn about ‘them’, I’m sick of it” or “I don’t see how gay people’s experiences are any different to ours. It’s a waste of time!’. These remarks were from people who knew that I was gay. (#3013)

• When [homophobic] events happen it should be made much more public, presenting it in an horrific, shocking light so that people know it is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. (#3087)

• I worry for the future of the Union because the newly elected executive roles in the Union have largely been taken by ISoc [Islamic Society] members. Though I am not Islamophobic, the individuals I am referring to are known to be anti-LGBT, and yet are responsible for dealing with LGBT issues – this really concerns me for the nature of the role that LGBT issues will play in the future of the Union. (#2950)

• In terms of directly improving the campus climate for LGBT persons I suggest that all university publicity material reflect the fact that LGBT students exist and succeed at university. Whilst acknowledging the shallow tokenistic gesture of such rationally capitalistic branding and publicity exercises I do in part believe that by projecting what can be, we work some way towards creating ‘what is’. (#3079)

• Given the university’s bureaucratic gestures of openness and sensitivity to LGBT issues, I’d like to see them have a picture of LGBT students/issues in every bit of publicity material they issue! That’ll be the day! (#3087)