Poster: Evaluating an LGBTQ+ awarding gap and supporting our queer student community: An intersectional perspective (Phase 1)

Being LGBTQ+ exposes people to various stigmas and inequalities; societal, cultural, and legal, which are exacerbated when intersecting with other marginalised identities, such as race, disability or socio-economic status. Addressing these inequalities requires acknowledging the issue and understanding student perspectives on improving conditions for LGBTQ+ people across diverse backgrounds in higher education.

Research indicates higher rates of poor mental health, poverty, and homelessness among LGBTQ+ people compared to cisgender heterosexual counterparts (Badgett et al., 2019; Coker et al., 2010; Mongelli et al., 2018; Uhrig, 2015). Furthermore, transgender people within the community experience particularly heightened challenges, characterised by increased levels of depression and higher rates of suicide when compared to their non-transgender LGB counterparts (Su et al., 2016). Age also plays a role, with older LGBTQ+ people having faced more discrimination throughout their lives (Yarns et al., 2016).

Educational attainment and potential awarding gaps for LGBTQ+ students in the UK remain understudied (UK Government Equalities Office, 2018), though evidence suggests academic disparities in the United States (Aragon et al., 2014; Kosciw et al., 2013, 2015). There is evidence that poverty (West, 2007), mental health (Smith et al., 2021), race (Jankowski, 2020) and social class (Hobbs, 2016) all negatively impact educational attainment. As poverty and poor mental health are both prevalent in LGBTQ+ people relative to the rest of the population (Hughes et al., 2018; Mongelli et al., 2019; Semlyen et al., 2016), and LGBTQ+ people of colour are some of the most marginalised people in western society (Balsam et al., 2011), this multiplicity of intersectional marginalisation calls for an urgent examination of what factors effect academic attainment of LGBTQ+ people in higher education. Similarly, autism can impact educational attainment (Richardson, 2017), which is prevalent in LGBTQ+ people (Weir et al., 2021), and notably high in transgender people (Warrier et al., 2020). There is a clear intersection between marginalisation and discrimination between these two, broad groups (Rodríguez-Roldán, 2020).

This project is split into two phases. Phase 1 will involve a literature review and quantitative model that aims to explore the relationships between queer identities and academic awarding. A pilot in EEES will help develop a method of collecting and processing data to apply to the wider STEM faculty. Phase 2 will involve semi-structured interviews with LGBTQ+ students to understand their experiences and identify shared intersectional traits that may contribute to any academic gaps and is an important phase which allows our student voices to be heard and examining in a very detailed way. The two-phase approach will allow sufficient detail to explore the qualitative element, but also allow for more rapid reporting on findings for the quantitative element.

This proposal only details Phase 1, with Phase 2 to have a dedicated separate proposal form in 2025.

With both phases, we seek to provide recommendations to the university for better supporting LGBTQ+ students and addressing potential awarding gaps, acknowledging equality but also equity. Given the prevalence of online communities as safe spaces for LGBTQ+ people ​(Austin et al., 2020; Lucero, 2017)​, the Open University, with its large LGBTQ+ community, is positioned to offer unique support. This research collaboration with LGBTQ+ OU students as researchers is ground-breaking within the UK higher education landscape, aiming to contribute valuable insights and recommendations for a more inclusive and supportive academic environment by and for the people the research aims to support.