The College Experience of Gay Students:

Theories and Recommendations

Constance CarmonaAlexander Devers

Janice FolkKatina Velentzas

Purpose

1. To conduct and analyze qualitative research on an underrepresented demographic

2. To synthesize participant data with existing models of identity development

3. To expand established body of literature on the experiences of gay and lesbian college students

4. To examine how two communities impact the growth of sexual identity

5. To formulate methods of assisting gays and lesbians in their tridimensional development

Why?

Suicide Rejection

Hate Crimes

Assaults

Negative

Messages

Why? (cont.)

• Suicide is the leading cause of death among LGBT youth 18-21

• 52% of LGBT youth have experienced parental rejection

• The most frequent victims of hate crimes

• LGBT individuals are twice as likely to be physically assaulted

• 9 in 10 hear negative messages about their sexuality

(Marshal, Dietz, Friedman, Stall, Smith, McGinley, Thoma, et al., 2011)

Gay on Campus: Notable Events

• 1920: Harvard’s Secret Court

• 1948: Alfred Kinsey’s Sexual Behavior in the Human Male

• 1967: The Student Homophile League at Columbia U.

• 1970: Queer Studies at Berkeley

• 1971: Gay Advocate’s Office at U. of Michigan

• 1991: The first gay research institute at CUNY

• 1998: U. of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard murdered

• 2009: The first endowed chair of gay studies at Harvard

(Vaserfirer, 2012)

Methods

• Qualitative data on 5

participants

▫ Demographics:

Age: (μ = 24)

Gender: 4 Males, 1 Female

Variety of college profiles

▫ The impact of sexual

identity on their college

experience

▫ Tridimensional identity

formation: S.I.I.

Identity

Sociocognitive

Intrapersonal

Interpersonal

Limitations to Research

• Small, non-diverse sample size

• Geographically homogeneous

▫ 71% of respondents attended college in the northeast

• Dearth of historical measurements and LGBT literature

• Data has not been reviewed to abide by community

standards

• Qualitative research conducted without formal training

▫ Statistical methods training

▫ Statistical analysis training

▫ Statistical computing training

Student 1: Hayley

• 23 years old, Psychology major

• Married for 6 months to her partner of 4 1/2 years

• International student from Trinidad & Tobago

• Attended conservative, Catholic high school

• Embraced sexual identity upon postgraduate matriculation

Student 1: Hayley (cont.)

• Sociocognitive▫ “I trusted [other people] in the Trinidadian ex-pat

community really easily at first. I wanted to believe my sexuality didn’t matter to them.”

▫ “I tried to make a good impression. Now I have my boundaries about what I say.”

• Intrapersonal▫ “It was a really tough transition to college. I felt

handicapped in that regard.”• Interpersonal

▫ “I didn’t know being a lesbian existed.”▫ “I made it a priority to find an LGBTQ club or

organization where I felt accepted.”

Student 2: Aaron

• 25 years old, B.A. Political Science and Psychology

• Single, living with college friends

• Happy with college experience

• Active in college community: student government, newspaper, study abroad

Student 2: Aaron (cont.)• Sociocognitive

▫ “After a few years, I reached out to him and found him to have serious issues with black, gays, and other ‘non-mainstream white’ constituencies. I chose not to come out to him and do not speak to him.”

• Intrapersonal▫ “I was a very active member of several organizations in

which I held many officerships.”▫ “I eventually moved in with friends from The Anchor and

I continue to live with them… I consider myself very much a part of my college social circle.”

• Interpersonal▫ “I received positive reactions from my family, except for

my biological father.”

Student 3: John

• 27 years old, B.A. Theater

• In a relationship, from Chicago, IL

• Involved in theater and music in college

• Poor academic performance

• Did not come out until his sophomore year

• Lost his fiancé in a car accident

Student 3: John (cont.)

• Sociocognitive▫ “Because I was so involved, I had friends everywhere on

campus. I knee people’s names and faces and would say hello to everyone as I passed them walking around campus.”

• Intrapersonal▫ “I always thought it was a phase I was going through, so

I dated women. ” • Interpersonal

▫ “I was never physically confronted or assaulted. The bullying was mostly verbal and social. I don’t think it had much to do with my sexuality at the time, more to do with… [how] I was a nerd.“

▫ “This campus is a breeding ground for the gays!”

Student 4: Jesse

• 21 years old, Psychology and Community Studies majors

• Pledged a fraternity, joined a cross-country team, held undergraduate positions in orientation and admissions

• Tried very hard to remain closeted

Student 4: Jesse (cont.)

• Sociocognitive▫ “I judge a friendship on their kindness and ability to be

real, not what they have done.”• Intrapersonal

▫ “Spring semester I began dating a guy who I would take a bus two hours away to see. It didn’t work out but I gained a lot of insight into the gay dating scene after that relationship.”

• Interpersonal▫ “[I] had many nights where I would simply reflect on

what I wanted in life. I believe that is what gave me the strength to come out of the closet. I believed that the friends I had made would stay by me no matter what… and if they did have a problem with me, then they weren’t true friends to begin with.”

Student 5: Christopher

• 23 years old, in a relationship

• From Anaheim, CA• Involvement in on-

campus fraternity, MECHA, and several LGBT groups

• Slowly accepted his sexual identity

Student 5: Christopher (cont.)

• Sociocognitive▫ “Taking an LGBT course really strengthened my

knowledge of who I was and how to relate to others.”• Intrapersonal

▫ “My biggest growth was my freedom. I was accepted as gay on my college campus, but struggled internally because I hid it from some of my family and still do.”

▫ “Education was the most transformational experience I could have ever had.”

• Interpersonal▫ “My first semester I lived at home. But my second

semester, I lived on campus and became involved in a lot of groups. I was also working between 40-60 hours a week.”

Student 6: Ken

• 24 years old, B.A. Communications

• Single• Parochial education at

Catholic schools, including college

• Did not participate in LGBT groups on campus

• Openly identified and accepted his gay identity

Student 6: Ken (cont.)• Sociocognitive

▫ “I was ostracized for being gay when younger. Luckily, it stopped sooner than later.”

• Intrapersonal▫ “I always knew I was gay and was okay with it. My

family was always supportive. But in the back of my head, coming from such a Catholic background, I struggled with it being an issue for people.”

▫ I used to think being gay was the main part of me. Now I realize that it’s simply one part of me, and that I’m an entire person with many facets.”

• Interpersonal▫ “Living on campus made me be around people all of the

time. This forced me to become less shy. It seemed no one had an issue with my sexuality.”

Examination of Theory: Themes

• Sociocognition (synthesis of inner and social identities)

▫ Social Cognition (Choudhury, et al.)

▫ Marginality v. Mattering (Schlossberg)

• Intrapersonal (internal monologue)

▫ Model of Sexual Orientation Identity Formation (Cass)

• Interpersonal (peer groups, relationships)

▫ Validation (Rendón)

(Choudhury, et al., 2006)

(Evans, Forney, Guido, Patton, & Renn, 2010)

Examination of Theory (cont.)

Choudhury, et al. (2006) Schlossberg (1989)

• Social cognition

▫ Emotional responses to

social situations based on

knowledge base

▫ Developing internal

mechanisms to consolidate

social and inner selves

(Choudhury, Blakemore, & Charman, 2006)

• Marginality v. Mattering

▫ Mattering: “Our belief,

whether right or wrong,

that we matter to someone

else”

▫ Marginality: A sense of not

fitting in

(Evans, et al., 2010, pp. 31-32)

Examination of Theory (cont.)

Cass (1996) Rendón (1994)

• Model of Sexual Orientation

Identity Formation

▫ Stage 1: Confusion

▫ Stage 2: Comparison

▫ Stage 3: Tolerance

▫ Stage 4: Acceptance

▫ Stage 5: Pride

▫ Stage 6: Synthesis

(Evans, et al., 2010, pp. 31-32)

• Validation

▫ “An enabling, confirming

and supportive process

initiated by in- and out-of-

class agents that foster

academic and interpersonal

development”

(Evans, et al., 2010, pp. 32-33)

Emergence of Common Themes

1. Traits rooted in supportive and unsupportive communities

2. Suppression or reinforcement of sexual identity to comply with community norms

3. Internal revelation that external agents exert influence on internal modes of self-conceptualization

4. Self-reasoning that sexual identity is a component of public identity

5. With return to larger community, internal scrutiny of sexual identity with its congruence to community and sociocultural standards

Five-R ModelRoot

Reinforcement

Revelation

Reasoning

Return

I. Root

Supportive Unsupportive

Sociocognitive

• Awareness of external judgment

Intrapersonal

• Internal monologue conducive to maturation

Interpersonal

• Supportive social system

Sociocognitive

• Awareness of external judgment

Intrapersonal

• Internal monologue struggles with outside rejection

Interpersonal• Unsupportive social system;

withdrawal to avoid prejudice or rejection

II. Reinforcement

Supportive Unsupportive

Sociocognitive

• Ability to connect with others and establish commonality

Intrapersonal• Community validation of

sexuality increases self-esteem

Interpersonal

• Establishes boundaries and forms supportive relationships

Sociocognitive

• Exerts to find perspective

Intrapersonal

• Community invalidation of sexuality decreases self-esteem

Interpersonal

• Sees that sexuality may not be accepted; withdraws or reformulates identity

III. Revelation

Supportive Unsupportive

Sociocognitive

• External modes of relating synthesize with self-perception

Intrapersonal

• Views sexuality as integral part of identity

Interpersonal

• Seeks to establish influential role in community

Sociocognitive• Awareness that identity

conflicts with public persona in community

Intrapersonal

• Internal conflict over significance of sexual identity

Interpersonal• Stagnated development;

continued withdrawal from community

IV. Reasoning

Supportive Unsupportive

Sociocognitive• Feeling that identity is

supported by external community

Intrapersonal

• Acknowledges self as developing and fallible

Interpersonal

• Uses position of influence to aid in the growth of others

Sociocognitive• Conscious decision to

deconsolidate social identity and true sexual identity

Intrapersonal

• Dichotomous identity

Interpersonal• Public persona remains

stagnant; discreet exploration with true sexual identity

V. Return

Supportive Unsupportive

Sociocognitive• Understanding that true

sexual identity is embraced by community

Intrapersonal• Sexual identity is internalized

as necessary component of self

Interpersonal• Employs leadership position

to socially integrate others into mainstream community

Sociocognitive

• Disassociation between true identity and public identity

Intrapersonal

• True sexual identity is suppressed

Interpersonal

• Projects publicly acceptable identity

Recommendations1. Diversity training for students, staff, and faculty

during orientations2. Appropriate and prompt addressing of alleged

discriminatory behaviors, acts, or policies3. LGBT groups normalized by student activities

departments4. Establishing LGBT mentoring programs matching

incoming first-year students with graduating seniors

ReferencesChoudhury, S., Blakemore, S., & Charman, T. (2006). Social

cognitive development during adolescence. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 1(3), 165-174.

Evans, N., Forney, D., Guido, F., Patton, L., & Renn, K. (2010). Student development in college: Theory, research, and practice. (2nd ed.) San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Marshal, M., Dietz, L., Friedman, M., Stall, R., Smith, H., McGinley, J., Thoma, B., et al. (2011). Suicidality and depression disparities between sexual minority and heterosexual youth: A meta-analytic review. The Journal of Adolescent Health, 49(2), 115-123.

Vaserfirer, A. (2012). (In)Visibility in lesbian and gay student organizing: The case of gay student services. Journal of Homosexuality, 59(4), 610-627.

Questions for Us?Root

Reinforcement

Revelation

Reasoning

Return