This chapter examines the experiences of queer Latinx men at Hispanic-serving institutions. Approximately 22% of Latinx millennials reported holding an LGBTQ identity. As new generations of students enroll in institutions of higher education, administrators are seeing an increase in the acceptance of queer students and the expectation for inclusive policies and services. With the campus climate playing a role in engagement and academic performance for both queer students and Latinx students, institutional diversity and support for queer Latinx men are important. The policy implications include increasing representation of faculty and staff who hold Latinx and queer identities, addressing lack of awareness of resources, and addressing the impact racial/ethnic and queer discrimination have on the campus climate.
TopIntroduction
The aim of this chapter is to examine the experiences of queer Latinx men at four-year postsecondary Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). This chapter will explore the resources available to queer students and Latinx students at HSIs and the knowledge of and utilization of these resources. Additionally, presenting the experiences of queer Latinx men, this chapter will discuss how institutions can better assist queer Latinx men to promote increased retention, engagement, and academic success.
This chapter will be both a resource for future scholarship focused on social justice and experiences of queer Latinx men but also provide new insight for this area of research. The goal is to provide policy recommendations and strategies to enhance the overall experience and academic performance of queer Latinx men at HSIs. While scholarly research from faculty related to LGBTQIA students is conducted, institutions themselves have not developed policies and resources at the same level (Renn, 2010; McGlynn, 2017; Tsui, 2007; Paluck & Green, 2009). There was a need for additional research to look at the experiences of marginalized students and their perceptions of their campus climate (Gates et al., 2017; Parker & Trolian 2018). There was an overall call for research examining queer Latinx students and the impact of the intersectionality of their identities (Kulick et al., 2017; Meyer et al., 2008; Nemoto et al., 2011; Hernandez & Fraynd, 2014).
Terminology
Within scholarship, various terms tend to be used in reference to Hispanic individuals such as Latin@, Chican@, and Latinx (Rudick et al., 2017). These labels “denote a range of political, ethnic, and historical relationships” (Rudick et al., 2017, p. 2). First used within the queer communities in 2004 as a way to promote inclusion, the term Latinx appeared online in 2014 (Salinas Jr. & Lozano, 2019). Additionally, the term Latinx “is more inclusive of transgender, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming individuals,” (Acosta, 2018, p. 407) genderqueer, and gender-fluid people (Peterson & Battle, 2018). Within this chapter, the term Latinx will be used as a gender inclusive term for individuals of Latin American culture or racial identity. Additionally, the terms Queer and LGBTIA will be used interchangeable as an umbrella term for sexual orientation and gender identity. However, if at any time the referenced literature utilizes a different term, that particular term will used in an effort to honor the populations discussed within the literature.
Background
Approximately 4.5 percent of the population within the United States identifies as a member of the queer community (Przworski & Piedra, 2020). Within the Latinx community, 22 percent of Latinx millennials reported holding an LGBTQ identity (Cohen et al., 2018).