1. Education Beyond the Straight and Narrow
LGBT students experience in higher education
Students’ Unions 2014

2. Outline I. Research key findings II. Groups discussion
1/ Safety and well-being
2/ Coming out as a trans student
3/ Campus culture
4/ Teaching and learning
5/ LGBT activism and representation
II. Groups discussion
III. Recommendations and next steps
1/ Institutions
2/ Student unions
3/ LGBT societies

3. Research Findings

4. Methodology NUS National survey Students’ led case studies
Online survey publicised from 10 Feb. to 3 March
4,000 respondents from 80 UK universities
Students’ led case studies
Bangor University
University of Nottingham
Manchester Metropolitan University
University College London
University of London
Online focus group with trans students

5. Methodology Survey sample composition: Sexual orientation:
46% heterosexual, 54% LGB+
21% gay, 10% lesbian, 20% bisexual, 3% in another way (asexual, pansexual, queer, fluid, unsure…)
Gender identity:
62% women, 35% men, 3% in another way (non-binary, a-gender, gender-queer, androgynous…)
96% cisgender, 3% trans
Ethnicity:
86% White, 5% mixed, 6% Asian, 3% Black
Country of study:
89% England, 3.5% Scotland, 6% Wales, 1.5% N. Ireland

6. Safety and well-being
What is the proportion of LGBT students who have experienced at least one form of harassment on campus (name calling, harassment, threats or intimidation, physical assault)?
A/ 1 in 10
B/ 1 in 5
C/ 1 in 3

7. Safety and well-being
Q26. Have you ever experienced homophobic or transphobic harassment on your campus? (N = 3,880)
1 in 5 LGB+
1 in 3 trans

8. Safety and well-being
“Using words such as 'gay' in a derogatory way has become so commonplace, I don't feel justified speaking out against it. I'd feel like I'd be making a nuisance, even though every time I hear the word used in that way it continues to feed the idea that being gay is bad, despite being out (...)”
(Gay man respondent to the national survey)

9. Safety and well-being
What is the most cited reason for considering dropping out? (LGB+ students)
A/ Health problems
B/ I felt like I did not fit in
C/ Career demands
D/ Financial difficulties

10. Safety and well-being
Reasons for considering dropping out by sexual orientation
67% of trans respondents

11. Safety and well-being
Impact of homophobic and transphobic bullying on retention
Type of bullying or harassment experienced by student
Percentage of respondents who have seriously considered dropping out or leaving their course
Name calling
Yes
41.7% No
26.2%
Harassment
53.1%
27.1%
Threats or intimidation
56.3%
27.4%
Physical assault
60.0%
28.2%
2 times more likely
3 times more likely

12. Coming out as a trans student
Q33. Have you ever seriously considered dropping out?
1 in 2 trans respondents have seriously considered dropping out
1 in 7 had to interrupt their studies because of transition
41.6% reported having a disability (vs. 17.5% of the whole sample)

13. Coming out as a trans student
“It was very hard to transition at uni because I was confused about where I was going and I failed my first attempt at my first year because I was so anxious about being misgendered and ‘found out’. I couldn't pay attention in lectures and often got as far as the classroom door only to have a panic attack and have to go home…”
(Trans respondent to the national survey)

14. Teaching and Learning
Impact of bullying and harassment on learning experience:
Appreciation of courses
Confidence to speak in class
Feeling of inclusion
 LGBT students trust more their lecturers/tutors to intervene in the event of a homophobic or transphobic incident than other fellow students.

15. Teaching and Learning Challenging non-inclusive curriculum:
I see LGB experiences and history reflected in my curriculum
I see trans* experiences and history reflected in my curriculum
Non-LGBT
4.44
3.98
LGB+
3.93
2.76
Trans
3.54
2.47
Total
4.10
3.20
*On a scale of 1 to 10

16. Teaching and Learning Q30. Do you feel confident to speak up in class?
LGBT students who are out to their tutors and lecturers are more likely to answer ‘yes’:
90% vs. 73% of those who are out to no one

17. Teaching and Learning
Q31. Do you feel included in group learning activities?
LGBT students who are out to their tutors and lecturers are more likely to answer ‘yes’:
93% vs. 85% of those who are out to no one

18. LGBT activism and representation
Q18. Were you aware that your university had an LGBT society before applying? (N = 4,238)
Members of LGBT society:
27.5% of LGB+
41.5% of trans

19. LGBT activism and representation
Q16. Are you member of one or more of the following students societies? (N = 4,242)

20. LGBT activism and representation
Which group is more likely to run for elections in their students’ union?
A/ Heterosexual students
B/ LGB+ students
C/ Trans students

21. LGBT activism and representation
LGBT students are more likely to run for elections in their students’ union:
11% of heterosexual respondents
16.6% of LGB+
23% of trans
But variations within LGB+:
19% of gay men
13% of lesbian
14% of bisexual
Gender bias:
18% of men
11% of women

22. Group discussion: using the results in your campaigns

23. II. Groups discussion
1/ How similar/different are these findings compared to your experience? (FE delegates)
2/ How to raise awareness and actively fight against homophobia and transphobia on campus? (how to talk to homophobic/transphobic people?)
3/ Should LGBT issues be included in anti-discrimination policies or have a separate framework?
4/ How to make LGBT issues a priority for your union?
5/ How to effectively improve trans students’ success and retention rates?

24. Recommendations

25. III. Recommendations and next steps
For institutions:
Zero tolerance policies
Contact point for victims of harassment and bullying
Gender neutral facilities
Facilitate change of name and gender on register
Train staff on LGBT issues
Facilitate relationships between LGBT staff and students
Include LGBT perspective in the curriculum
Data collection and monitoring

26. III. Recommendations and next steps
For students’ union:
Training for presidents of societies
Elect LGBT officers
Include LGBT perspectives in campaigns
Zero tolerance policies
Train officers on how to support victims of bullying and harassment
Become a third party hate crime reporting site

27. III. Recommendations and next steps
For LGBT societies:
System of buddies and peer to peer support
Innovate in recruitment and advertising
Diversify activities (not only drinking and going out)
Organise awareness-raising events
Better take into account trans issues

28. To go further… Full report available at: www.nus.org.uk/lgbtresearch
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