Being Queer and ‘Non-traditional’ at Russell Group Universities in the North of England: Report for universities, staff, students and researchers

At a time of a cost-of-living crisis in the UK, this project asked ‘non-traditional’ first generation, lower socio-economic status queer students about their experiences of inclusion, belonging and support at Russell Group universities. Rusell Group universities are arguably where social stratification may be more present. Alongside this, queer students are known to occupy both safe and unsafe positions at university with current concerns being heightened around the rise of anti-trans rhetoric. The overall aim of the project was to improve provision within higher education environments.This project found that whilst there are challenges that can arise from all these categories of marginalisation, there are particular concerns for students operating on the intersections of queer and non-traditional. Specifically, heterosexism, misogyny and classism (and other forms of prejudice) can be experienced intersectionally on campus – particularly in environments that operate around the dominance of white male homosociality and privilege. In addition, queer students can experience particular financial difficulties though constrained relations with family or the precarity of trans healthcare. Community and belonging are also vital for marginalised students in environment where they are always aware of who or what can be trusted and is safe.Whilst these, and further, challenges exist, many of these are often deemed as lower-level or, effecting a small number of people, as such they are not always seen. Regardless, the overwhelming finding of this project is around the resourcefulness, awareness and agency of ‘non-traditional’ queer students. Arguably they are primed for this, having always considered how they fit (or not) into systems of privilege and dominance – whether through gender and heteronormativity or money and wealth.