Conflating Gender and Identity: The Need for Gender‐Fluid Programming in Community Colleges

Abstract

Higher education institutions as microcosms of larger society are experiencing a changing face. According to the U.S. Department of Education (2015), changes in college attendance by race and ethnicity in college enrollment rates for 1990 in contrast to 2014 were as follows: Whites-44% versus 35%; Blacks-25% versus 37%; and Hispanics-16% versus 39%. Coupled with demographic shifts by race/ethnicity, the gender composition of postsecondary attendees has changed over the last 25 years.In 1990, 6 in 10 graduating female high school students enrolled in college without any lag time. At present, nearly three fourths of female high school completers (i.e., 73%) immediately enroll in college compared to 64% of males at 2-and 4-year colleges (Kena et al., 2016). The rate for male high school completers in 2014 has remained roughly the same as it was in 1990. Women currently represent 57% of college attendees, a rate that has been stable since 2003 (U.S. Department of Education, 2016a). These data underscore that a higher percentage of women collegians participate in higher education in contrast to the number of females in the general population. Gender and Student DiversityWhen looking closely at 2-year college enrollment by gender, similar trends emerge, but differences exist when looking at race/ethnicity. Among all undergraduates, 62% of American Indian, 57% of Hispanic, 52% of Black, NEW DIRECTIONS FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES, no. 179, Fall 2017

Supporting LGBTQ students through precarity: Policies and practices for inclusion

“…A lack of federal policy guiding LGBTQ students in higher education means that for now, individual institutions need to create and implement their own policies as it relates to their LGBTQ communities. These policies do more than protect these individuals, they signal the institution's commitment to their learning and sense of belonging to the institution (Zamani-Gallaher, 2017). These initiatives are ones that community colleges can engage in at low or, in some cases, no cost.…”

“…Yet, we know that LGBTQ students benefit from inclusive policies and practices that center their identities (Garvey et al., 2015; Taylor et al., 2018; Zamani‐Gallaher & Choudhuri, 2016). Experiences with homophobia, heterosexisms, and cissexism can have a negative impact on LGBTQ students’ academic and social experiences at community colleges (Zamani‐Gallaher, 2017).…”

“…It is equally critical that policies be communicated effectively and consistently to the entire campus community (Goldberg et al., 2019). These policies should be easily found online, communicated clearly, and used to show how institutions value LGBTQ students, faculty, staff, topics, and identities (Zamani‐Gallaher, 2017). Practices to communicate and educate about these policies may be to include discussion of nondiscrimination policies in both student and employee orientation and to require all course syllabi to include the nondiscrimination policy and outline specific offices individuals can contact for more information and/or to report bias.…”

“…Thus, further attention and research must be paid to LGBTQ students of color so that literature might "be more accurate in depicting the lived realities of LGBTQ persons on today's campuses" (p. 60). It is critical that more research attends to how students with a multiplicity of diverse identities experience their educational environment (Zamani-Gallaher, 2017).…”

Meeting the moment: Inside‐outside strategies as a critical element to contemporary transformative leadership

“…Today, there is a range of pertinent equity and social justice issues that impact community college students, staff, and faculty as well as the communities for which these institutions are meant to serve. These issues include: immigration and the unique barriers facing undocumented students (Muñoz, 2018; Negrón‐Gonzales, 2017; Nienhusser, 2014; Tapia‐Fuselier, 2019, 2020); racism, racist nativism, White supremacy, and anti‐Blackness (Cuellar & Johnson‐Ahorlu, 2016; Pérez Huber, 2011; White & Dache, 2020); the cost of postsecondary education and the subsequent student loan debt crisis (Charles et al., 2016; Luna‐Torres et al., 2018); sustainability and climate change (Harbout & Bower, 2020; Phelan & Lumb, 2021); inadequate labor policies (Berry;, 2005; Wagoner, 2019); homophobia and transphobia (Garvey et al., 2015; Zamani‐Gallaher, 2017); gun violence and community safety (Beggan, 2019; Dahl et al., 2016); and voter suppression and other democratic crises (Harbour & Smith, 2016; Mathews, 2016; McNaughtan & Brown, 2020). The list goes on.…”