Coping and support strategies employed by gay students living in male-only on-campus residences at an institution of higher learning in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Student housing at South African Higher Learning Institutions (HLIs) is a critical environment in which gay male students frequently encounter heteronormative norms and hostile treatment from heterosexual peers. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological design within an interpretivist paradigm, this qualitative study explored the coping strategies and support systems of five Black gay male undergraduate students living in male-only residences at an institution of higher learning in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Participants were recruited through snowball sampling and took part in online semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), with Minority Stress Theory as an interpretive lens. Participants described identity concealment as a protective but psychologically costly strategy, often accompanied by vigilance and self-monitoring, alongside identity affirmation and individualised coping. Friendship networks, allyship from some heterosexual peers and responsive institutional structures appeared to buffer minority stress. The findings suggest that inclusion in residences should not depend on gay students managing their own visibility. We recommend visible, staffed reporting pathways with recurring staff training, and choice-based room allocation, as practices that may transfer to other higher education contexts.