A mixed methods study to explore the lived experiences of support offered to LGBTQ+ students in higher education.

Since 2016, United Kingdom Higher Education Institutions (UKHEI’s) have seen an increase of 40% of applications from individuals identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or other (LGBTQ+) and an 85% increase of transgender declarations. Despite recent positive reports around LGBTQ+ students in Higher Education, the academic literature paints a more negative picture. Much of the existing literature comes from interviews with staff and therefore this study, as part of a staff research internship, aimed to explore the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ students. Following co-production and design with LGBTQ+ students an online survey with 26 respondents was conducted with 6 semi-structured interviews analysed using thematic analysis. Three themes exploring the lived experiences were constructed: educational impact, belonging and institutional trust. Sub themes within highlighted that campaigns designed to demonstrate support for LGBTQ+ students did not go far enough in terms of educating people about contemporary issues and were often seen as tokenistic. Support services were not specific enough for this population of the student body. Alongside this, the discourse between the individual facets of the LGBTQ+ community highlighted a lack of belonging leading to self-isolation. Overall, this displayed a lack of trust and representation from the institution, leading to disengagement from academic studies. Recommendations include increased education around LGBTQ+ issues from management, support services and teaching staff alike with meaningful co-production with LGBTQ+ students to facilitate academic success and personal growth.