Beyond gender inclusive housing: building a trans and nonbinary residential experience

Abstract

Supporting trans and nonbinary students in residence halls is critically important given the harassment, discrimination, and violence trans and nonbinary students face. Further, health outcomes are consistently worse for trans and nonbinary students compared to their cisgender peers. While gender inclusive environments are a first step they do not go far enough. What would it mean for the broader campus community to build a trans and nonbinary student experience in the residence halls, rooted in their needs and center their identity? This article outlines a promising solution by moving beyond gender inclusive housing and expanding the commitment to trans and nonbinary students. Our team utilized a distributed leadership model to thoroughly address all aspects of community living for trans and nonbinary students. This includes staffing, access, locations, demand, and an embedded health model.