“Bisexuality’s never enough…”: using composite narratives to explore bisexual students’ experiences within LGBTQ campus spaces

Abstract

AbstractDespite ongoing efforts to improve campus climate for marginalized students, queer- and trans-spectrum students continue to experience their college campuses as hostile and unwelcoming spaces. Bisexual students in particular face unique challenges and struggle to fully engage in campus communities that did not fully recognize their bisexual identity. To create safer and more inclusive campuses, colleges and universities often rely on LGBTQ campus spaces, like resource centers and student organizations, to offer affirmation, support, resources, and education for and about queer- and trans-spectrum students, but these spaces are not always inclusive of and affirming to bisexual students despite their mission. Using first-person composite narratives composed of interviews with nine bisexual college students, this study highlights bisexual students’ experiences within LGBTQ campus spaces. The findings can deepen higher education professionals’ understanding of these unique intracommunity dynamics to cultivate more welcoming, affirming, and supportive LGBTQ campus spaces for bisexual students.Keywords: BisexualityLGBTQcollege studentshigher educationstudent affairs Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Additional informationNotes on contributorsJayna TavarezJayna Tavarez (she/her) is an educator, researcher, and student affairs practitioner. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Integrative Studies with a concentration in Social Justice and Human Rights, a Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Social Justice and Human Rights, and a graduate certificate in Women and Gender Studies from George Mason University. She is currently a doctoral student in the Department of Communication at the University of Massachusetts Amherst where she explores the intersections between identity negotiation, intracommunity dynamics, and performance within higher education contexts.