A 2019 Association of American Universities survey of undergraduate and graduate students found that almost 17% of respondents self-identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, queer, questioning, or selected more than one identity. Additionally, the same survey found that 1.7% of respondents self-identified as transgender, non-binary/genderqueer, or gender questioning (Cantor et al., 2019). As these student populations grow in higher education institutions, it is important to understand not only the on-campus experiences of LGBTQ+ students but also the experiences of these student populations when they study abroad. The results of a 2015 study suggest that LGBTQ+ students are more likely than heterosexual and cisgender students to participate in study abroad opportunities in several areas (Bryant & Soria, 2015). Despite the number of LGBTQ+ students studying abroad, the research on their experiences is limited (Bingham et al., 2023; Brunsting, Chiles, et al., 2023). Existing research provides practitioners with insights on the challenges LGBTQ+ students may face, including homophobia and transphobia, navigating if and when to “come out” and to whom, and gendered language. However, existing research also shows that students built resilience and found connections to the global LGBTQ+ community. This brief will first examine the extant literature, highlighting the key findings and themes arising from 13 empirical articles that consider LGBTQ+ students and issues in a study abroad context (for background on the selection of these studies, see Brunsting, Dietrich, et al., in this issue). Based on these findings, the brief will provide practitioner feedback and interpretation to enhance the support study abroad offices and providers could consider when working directly with LGBTQ+ students.

Bingham, W. Patrick, Marissa Mitchell, and Nelson Brunsting. Considering LGBTQ+ Students’ Study Abroad Experiences Across Research and Practice. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad 35, no. 2 (2023): 29-39. https://frontiersjournal.org/index.php/Frontiers/article/view/847

© 2023 W. Patrick Bingham, Marissa Mitchell, Nelson Brunsting

This is an Open Access article licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

Marissa Mitchell is the Associate Director of Education Abroad, Center for Global Study & Engagement at Dickinson College.

This published version is made available on Dickinson Scholar with the permission of the publisher. For more information on the published version, visit Frontier's Website. https://frontiersjournal.org/index.php/Frontiers/article/view/847

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