Queering the Query: A Call to HSI Community Colleges to Include LGBTQIA + Latinx Students

“Whenever I see those little rainbow stickers, I know that there is a place you can go”: Visibility and sense of belonging for queer and/or trans community college students.

“…While it has been three decades since, still, current research suggests that a major component perpetuating invisibility for this population is the lack of representation via campus artifacts, curriculum, and data (Á. González & Cataño, 2022;Garvey, 2019;Jaekel, 2021;Trimble, 2019). Community college practitioners need direction in finding ways to validate and best support their QT students' sense of belonging (Á. D. J.…”

“…While this demographic reality calls for greater equity efforts, QT students at community colleges continue to be left out of these conversations and strategies given the lack of data collection metrics in place and the paucity in empirical research (Á. González & Cataño, 2022; Á. D. J. González & Duran, 2023) which materialize into harmful educational contexts (Woodford et al 2012).…”

“…In California, the largest community college system in the nation, they enroll 1.9 million students across 116 colleges with most students being from minoritized backgrounds (California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, 2024; Felix, 2021; Reddy & Siqueiros, 2021). While this demographic reality calls for greater equity efforts, QT students at community colleges continue to be left out of these conversations and strategies given the lack of data collection metrics in place and the paucity in empirical research (Á. González & Cataño, 2022; Á.…”

Category is, supporting BIQTPoC at community colleges: A systematic literature review to aid community college leaders in advocacy

“…If research is to inform practice but the research remains scarce, this poses a challenge and barrier to better enact leadership that is inclusive and social justice focus to support minoritized students, such as BIQTPoC at community colleges (Gonzalez, 2022b; Ivory, 2005; Leider, 1999). The antiquated claim that queer and trans students are few and far between within the community college and that it is challenging for researchers gain access to data for this hidden population is no longer sufficient (Baker, 1991; Garvey, 2019; Gonzalez & Cataño, 2022; Ivory, 2012). More scholarship is imperative as researchers and practitioners consider queering this work rather than the “tendency to normalize only heterosexuality” within our community colleges (Nelson, 2010, p. 443).…”

“…11LGBTQ+ is used as an acronym to represent all sexual and gender minorities is limiting for several reasons including eliminating other nonnormative identities and conflating sexual identity with gender identity. However, for the purposes of this study, we consciously decided to use this term as a sense of collectivity and solidarity for the underrepresented and understudied undergraduate students at 2‐year colleges (See Gonzalez & Cataño, 2022; Zamani‐Gallaher & Choudhuri, 2011)…”