LGBTQ+ inclusion that extends beyond Pride

Pride Month is an opportunity for universities to recognise the achievements of their LGBTQ+ staff and students and celebrate progress made towards equality. It is also a time to confront the challenges people of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and other non-traditional orientations continue to face. But for inclusion initiatives to meaningfully celebrate diverse identities and create a welcoming campus, they need to go much further than one-off rainbow-hued events. Although the LGBTQ+ community is arguably more visible than ever before, attacks on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and debates about single-sex spaces have affected access to services and research funding and, for some, their sense of security and belonging.

About 11 per cent of students and 8.2 per cent of university staff identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual, according to UK figures, with the proportion higher among Gen Z. For many of them, university is a haven. But LGBTQ+ students are also more like to experience mental health issues, and two in five have hidden their identity for fear of discrimination, while a 2024 study suggests that LGBTQ+ university staff continue to “navigate a delicate balance between openness and potential repercussions”.

Clearly, the extent to which LGBTQ+ faculty, staff and students feel equal and free in their work and studies will affect their ability to thrive and contribute to university life. This collection gathers advice for ensuring that the LGBTQ+ community is visible and understood, and feels able to bring their authentic selves to campus. You will find insights on making spaces for queer belonging and connection, building nuance into research involving gay and transgender participants, supporting trans staff and students, and many ways to be an effective ally. 

What LGBTQ+ staff need from their universities

Being out can be complex enough but when LGBTQ+ identities intersect with other protected characteristics, it can be even more complicated for university staff to bring their whole self to work. These resources offer advice to help institutions manage nuance and refine communication and explore the advantages of enabling everyone on campus to show up authentically.

Developing more nuanced research on and for LGBTQ+ staff: Strengthening data collection on LGBTQ+ staff supports fairer, more responsive equality policies. Emma Jones and Simon Lock from UCL outline strategies.

For EDI efforts to be sustainable, universities must evolve their language and practice: A transactional model can position higher education institutions as performing equity, diversity and inclusion rather than living it, writes Bruce Watson from UNSW Sydney. But that version of EDI will not serve us in the future.

Campus Talks: Career advice, LGBTQ+ in the academy and public speaking tips: In this podcast episode, Adler University president emeritus Ray Crossman talks about bringing his true self to the job, including his HIV status, and how university mission statements give subtle cues to LGBTQ+ academics on how supported they would feel on campus.

How to embed inclusive recruitment practices in a higher education setting: Hiring practices – from job posting to interview – are key to creating a diverse workforce. Here, Damien Page from Buckinghamshire New University offers advice on how to drive university-wide inclusivity.

How to foster belonging for LGBTQ+ students

For many LGBTQ+ students, university is a place where they can find community and security, maybe for the first time. Social groups and initiatives such as Rainbow Office Hours offer forums for conversations about coming out, navigating administration or academic collaboration. 

Empower LBGTQ+ people to be their authentic selves on campus: The simple, low-cost idea of Rainbow Office Hours has helped the University of Glasgow become a more welcoming space. Rafael Henry-Venson and Emily Nordmann explain how it works.

Beyond Alan Turing: bringing LGBTQ+ role models into STEM: LGBTQ+ identities mostly remain invisible in STEM. Shining a light on them in everyday teaching can strengthen belonging and representation, write three academics from the University of Exeter.

Make social groups work for under-represented students: Collaborate with students to create social groups that foster connection and inclusion, rather than emphasising difference, as Ian Norman from the University of East Anglia explains.

‘Creative writing can be as impactful as an academic paper’: Grassroots initiatives can promote visibility of marginalised groups, self-expression and community, writes Emily Downes from Teesside University. Here are her key tips from running a creative writing competition to mark LGBTQ+ History Month.

Advice for research involving LGBTQ+ communities

Despite the umbrella abbreviation, LGBTQ+ communities are neither homogenous nor static over time. Gender and sexuality intersect with other characteristics such as race, Indigeneity, disability, neurodiversity or economic status, aspects that researchers need to take into account when studying lived experiences. Read on for advice on how to avoid research that resorts to simplistic categories, how to acknowledge the realities of queer history when working with archival material and how to ensure that research questions are set “with” and not “on” queer, gay and transgender participants. 

How intersectionality impacts research with LGBTQ+ communities: Researchers need to recognise the diversity and complexity of LGBTQ+ participants’ experiences. Here, academics from the University of Southern Queensland offer seven ways to apply an intersectional approach.

Using primary sources to tell queer histories: In uncovering LGBTQ+ stories in personal archives and official documents, historians should ask questions about how each source engages with gender and sexuality, writes Isabell Dahms.

Work ‘with’ not ‘on’: making social research more inclusive for LGBTQ+ people: Paul Willis from the University of Bristol shares four ways to develop inclusive social research practices that involve LGBTQ+ participants.

Ways to improve the equitable inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in research: Experts from Pride in STEM summarise actions universities and research bodies should take to create truly equitable, inclusive environments for LGBTQ+ staff and students.

Ways to support trans peers and colleagues

Court rulings about gender identity, the rise of gender-critical beliefs and policies on single-sex facilities all affect the daily experiences of trans and non-binary people. These articles offer advice for reflection, community-building and creating safe, inclusive environments.

‘We need to be united, confident and proud of who we are’: How can UK universities support gender-non-conforming members of their communities in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman? Pippa Catterall from the University of Westminster gives a response.

‘Strengthening institution-wide commitment to trans inclusion is more important than ever’: Guidance for museums, galleries and heritage venues has insight for universities as they prepare to bolster freedom of speech, write four UK academics.

Navigating conflicting DEI needs for the benefit of all: Equity, diversity and inclusion work is complicated when one group’s rights to dignity and privacy challenge another’s sense of comfort and security. Here, Cynthia Williams from the University of Northern British Columbia offers strategies to address these tensions.

Creating an environment where staff and students feel comfortable sharing their pronouns: Using the correct pronouns is a key part of respectful communication – so, asks Kat Smith, how do we create a university environment where sharing pronouns is a natural part of workplace culture?

How to be an effective ally on campus

Allyship is key to combating the structural inequalities and marginalisation that still affect the LGBTQ+ community as well as countering outright homophobia, biphobia and transphobia. But what does being an ally look like and what supportive actions make a difference? Learn through humble curiosity, call out bad behaviour and try again when mistakes are inevitably made, these articles explain.  

What we learned from building a queer-straight university alliance: Bhawana Shrestha and Sushobhan Chimoriya from Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University outline how an anonymous email sparked understanding of what it means to be a queer ally. 

Practical LGBTQ+ allyship within STEMM: From inclusive language to visible signals of support, practical action can help create safer, more equitable workplaces for LGBTQ+ colleagues and students, write three lecturers from the University of Exeter.

What you can do today for a meaningful Pride Month: Fear of being tokenistic, or feeling they don’t know enough to start, can stop many people engaging with queer inclusion. Here, Brooke Szücs from the University of Queensland offers first steps towards allyship. 

What LGBTQ+ allyship means in academia: Being a queer person who appreciates allyship and who tries to be a good ally to others has taught me a few things, says Lucas Lixinski from UNSW Sydney.

Thank you to all Campus contributors who shared their expertise in this guide.

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