Whiteness and the Rainbow: White LGBTQ+ College Students’ Racial Identity Development

Main Article Content

Chelsea Noble
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0162-1242
Kristen A. Renn
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5000-2889

Abstract

LGBTQ+ communities and spaces on college campuses are often known as white-centered spaces, implicitly or explicitly excluding students of color. While White LGBTQ+ students may experience marginalization and exclusion on the basis of their sexual orientations and/or gender identities, they may unwittingly perpetuate oppression on the basis of race. Utilizing Helms’ (1990) white racial identity development model, this study explored how White LGBTQ+ college students understand their racial identity and white privilege. The sample of 12 White LGBTQ+ college students was drawn from a larger four-year longitudinal qualitative study of LGBTQ+ college student success. In early interviews, students either did not discuss their white racial identity or did not view their white racial identity as a salient aspect of their identity. However, students increasingly spoke about their white identities, race, and racism in later interviews. Interpersonal experiences, academic engagement, and national events provided access points for White LGBTQ+ students to talk about race and their white identities. Implications for research and practice with White LGBTQ+ college students and in LGBTQ+ campus spaces are discussed.

Article Details

Section
Articles

References

Abes, E. S., & Jones, S. R. (2004). Meaning-making capacity and the dynamics of lesbian college students’ multiple dimensions of identity. Journal of College Student Development, 45(6), 612–632. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2004.0065

Allport, G.W. (1954). The nature of prejudice. Addison-Wesley.

Beattie, I. R., Van Dyke, N., & Hagaman, N. (2021). What do we know about LGBQ+ college student academic experiences and outcomes? Sociology Compass, 15(3). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12862

Blockett, R. A. (2018). Thinking with queer of color critique: A multidimensional approach to analyzing and interpreting data. In R. Winkle-Wagner, J. Lee-Johnson, & A. N. Gaskew, (Eds.), Critical Theory and Qualitative Data Analysis in Education (pp. 109–122). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315158860-8

Bonilla-Silva, E. (2017). Racism without racists: Color-blind racism and the persistence of racial inequality in America (5th Ed.). Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Bowman, N. A. (2013). The conditional effects of interracial interactions on college student outcomes. Journal of College Student Development, 54(3), 322–328. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2013.0026

Bowman, N. A., & Park, J. J. (2015). Not all diversity interactions are created equal: Cross-racial interaction, close interracial friendship, and college student outcomes. Research in Higher Education, 56, 601–621. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-015-9365-z

Broido, E. M. (2000). The development of social justice allies during college: A phenomenological investigation. Journal of College Student Development, 41(1), 3–18.

Cabrera, N. L. (2012). Working through Whiteness: White, male college students challenging racism. The Review of Higher Education 35(3), 375–401. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2012.0020

Cabrera, N. L. (2014). Exposing whiteness in higher education: White male college students minimizing racism, claiming victimization, and recreating white supremacy. Race Ethnicity and Education, 17(1), 30–55. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2012.725040

Cabrera, N. L. (2017). White immunity: Working through some of the pedagogical pitfalls of “privilege.” Journal Committed to Social Change on Race and Ethnicity, 3(1), 78–90. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15763/issn.2642-2387.2017.3.1.77-90

Cabrera, N. L. (2018). White guys on campus: Racism, White immunity, and the myth of "post-racial" higher education. Rutgers University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.36019/9780813599106

Cabrera, N. L., Watson, J. S., & Franklin, J. D. (2016). Racial arrested development: A critical Whiteness analysis of the campus ecology. Journal of College Student Development 57(2), 119–134. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2016.0014

Crenshaw, K. (1991). Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color. Stanford Law Review, 43(6), 1241–1299. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1229039

Duran, A. (2019). Queer and of color: A systematic literature review on queer students of color in higher education scholarship. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 12 (4), 390–400. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000084

Duran, A., Dahl, L. S., Prieto, K., Hooten, Z., & Mayhew, M. J. (2020). Exposing the intersections in LGBQ+ student of color belongingness: Disrupting hegemonic narratives sustained in college impact work. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000222

Duran, A., Jackson, R., & Lange, A. C. (2020). The theoretical engagements of scholarship on LGBTQ+ people in higher education: A look at research published between 2009 and 2018. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000284

Friedensen, R. E., Kimball, E., Vaccaro, A., Miller, R. A., & Forester, R. (2021). Queer science: Temporality and futurity for queer students in STEM. Time & Society. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0961463X211008138

Gallagher, C. A. (2000). White like me? Methods, meaning, and manipulation in the field of White studies. In F. W. Twine & J. W. Warren (Eds.), Racing research, researching race: Methodological dilemmas in critical race studies (pp. 67–92). New York University Press.

Garvey, J. C., Squire, D. D., Stachler, B., & Rankin, S. (2018). The impact of campus climate on queer-spectrum student academic success. Journal of LGBT Youth, 15(2), 89–105. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19361653.2018.1429978

Grier-Reed, T., Houseworth, J., & Diehl, D. (2017). Breaking down walls and building bridges: A study of cross-racial interactions across two predominantly White campuses. Journal Committed to Social Change on Race and Ethnicity, 3(2), 2–23. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15763/issn.2642-2387.2017.3.2.1-23

Grillo, T., & Wildman, S. M. (2018). Obscuring the importance of race: The implications of making comparisons between racism and sexism (or other-isms). In V. Lea, D. E. Lund, & P. R. Carr (Eds.), Critical multicultural perspectives on Whiteness (pp. 157–169). Peter Lang Publishing.

Helms, J. E. (1984). Toward a theoretical explanation of the effects of race on counseling: A Black and White model. The Counseling Psychologist, 12(4), 153–165. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000084124013

Helms, J. E. (Ed.). (1990). Black and White racial identity: Theory, research, and practice. Greenwood Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/t06697-000

Helms, J. E. (1995). An update of Helm's White and people of color racial identity models. In J. G. Ponterotto, J. M. Casas, L. A.

Suzuki, & C. M. Alexander (Eds.), Handbook of multicultural counseling (pp. 181–198). SAGE Publications. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/t47453-000

Johnson, J. M., & Javier, G. (Eds.). (2017). Queer people of color in higher education. Information Age Publishing.

Joyce, S. B., & Cawthon, T. (2017). The influence of Whiteness on the group socialization of fraternity men. Journal Committed to Social Change on Race and Ethnicity, 3(2), 25–61. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15763/issn.2642-2387.2017.3.2.24-61

Lange, A. C., Duran, A., & Jackson, R. (2019). The state of LGBT and queer research in higher education revisited: Current academic houses and future possibilities. Journal of College Student Development 60(5), 511–526. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2019.0047

Leonardo, Z. (2009). Race, Whiteness, and education. Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203880371

Lichter, D. T., Parisi, D., & Taquino, M. C. (2017). Together but apart: Do US whites live in racially diverse cities and neighborhoods? Population and Development Review, 43(2), 229–255. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/padr.12068

Linley, J. L., Renn, K. A., & Woodford, M. R. (2018). Examining the ecological systems of LGBTQ STEM majors. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 24(1), 1–16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1615/JWomenMinorScienEng.2017018836

Logie, C. H., & Rwigema, M. J. (2014). “The normative idea of queer is a White person”: Understanding perceptions of White privilege among lesbian, bisexual, and queer women of color in Toronto, Canada. Journal of Lesbian Studies, 18(2), 174–191. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10894160.2014.849165

Lorde, A. (1980, April). Age, race, class and sex: Women redefining difference [Paper presentation]. Copeland Colloquium, Amherst College, Amherst, MA.

Malott, K. M., Paone, T. R., Schaefle, S., Cates, J., & Haizlip, B. (2015). Expanding White racial identity theory: A qualitative investigation of Whites engaged in antiracist action. Journal of Counseling and Development, 93(3), 333–343. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jcad.12031

Marine, S. B., & Nicolazzo, Z. (2014). Names that matter: Exploring the tensions of campus LGBTQ centers and trans* inclusion. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 7(4), 265–281. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1037/a0037990

Matias, C. E. (2016). Feeling White: Whiteness, emotionality, and education. Sense Publishers. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6300-450-3

Maxwell, K. E. (2018). Deconstructing Whiteness, discovering the water. In V. Lea, D. E. Lund, & P. R. Carr (Eds.), Critical multicultural perspectives on Whiteness (pp. 181–192). Peter Lang Publishing.

McCoy, S. D. (2018). Where is my place?: Queer and transgender students of color experiences in cultural centers at a predominantly White university [Doctoral dissertation, University of Wisconsin - Madison]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.

McCready, L. T. (2004). Some challenges facing queer youth programs in urban high schools. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Issues in Education, 1(3), 37–51. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1300/J367v01n03_05

McIntosh, P. (1989). White privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack. Peace and Freedom, 10–12.

Miller, R. A., & Vaccaro, A. (2016). Queer student leaders of Color: Leadership as authentic, collaborative, culturally competent. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, 53(1), 39–50. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19496591.2016.1087858

Mitchell, D., Jr., & Means, D. R. (2014). “Quadruple consciousness”: A literature review and new theoretical consideration for understanding the experiences of Black gay and bisexual college men at predominantly White institutions. Journal of African American Males in Education, 5, 23–25.

Morgan, D. L. (2008). Snowball sampling. In L. Given (Ed.), The SAGE encyclopedia of qualitative research methods. SAGE Publications. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412963909.n425

Nicolazzo, Z. (2017). Trans* in college: Transgender students’ strategies for navigating campus life and the institutional politics of inclusion. Stylus Publishing.

Omi, M. & Winant, H. (2015). Racial formation in the United States (3rd ed.). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203076804

Ortiz, S. M., & Mandala, C. R. (2021). “There is queer inequity, but I pick to be happy”: Racialized feeling rules and diversity regimes in university LGBTQ resource centers. Du Bois Review. Advance online publication. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742058X21000096

Palys, T. (2008). Purposive sampling. In L. Given (Ed.), The SAGE encyclopedia of qualitative research methods. SAGE Publications. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412963909.n349

Park, J. J., & Bowman, N. A. (2015). Religion as bridging or bonding social capital: Race, religion, and cross-racial interaction for college students. Sociology of Education, 88(1), 20–37. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0038040714560172

Pitcher, E. N., Camacho, T. P., Renn, K. A., & Woodford, M. R. (2018). Affirming policies, programs, and supportive services: Using an organizational perspective to understand LGBTQ+ college student success. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 11(2), 117–132. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000048

Reason, R. D. (2015). Engaging White students on multicultural campuses. In S. J. Quaye & S. R. Harper (Eds.), Student engagement in higher education: Theoretical perspectives and practical approaches for diverse populations (2nd ed., pp. 75–89). Routledge.

Reason, R. D., Roosa Millar, E. A., & Scales, T. C. (2005). Toward a model of racial justice ally development. Journal of College Student Development 46(5), 530–546. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2005.0054.

Renn, K. A. (2010). LGBT and queer research in higher education: The state and status of the field. Educational Researcher, 39(2), 132–141. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X10362579

Renn, K. A., & Arnold, K. D. (2003) Reconceptualizing research on college student peer culture. The Journal of Higher Education, 74(3), 261–291. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2003.11780847

Renn, K. A., & Reason, R. D. (2013). College students in the United States: Characteristics, experiences, and outcomes. Jossey-Bass.

Rossman, G. R., & Rallis, S. F. (2017). An introduction to qualitative research: Learning in the field (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Saldaña, J. (2011). Fundamentals of qualitative research. Oxford University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781071802694

Self, J. M., & Hudson, K. D. (2015). Dangerous waters and brave space: A critical feminist inquiry of campus LGBTQ centers. Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services, 27(2), 216–245. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10538720.2015.1021985

Sipe, L. & Constable, S. (1996). A chart of four contemporary research paradigms: Metaphors for the modes of inquiry. Taboo: The Journal of Culture and Education, 1, 153–163.

Stewart, D.-L., & Nicolazzo, Z. (2018). High impact of [whiteness] on trans* students in postsecondary education. Equity & Excellence in Education, 51(2), 132–145. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10665684.2018.1496046

Stewart, D.-L., Renn, K. A., & Brazelton, G. B. (Eds.). (2015). Gender and Sexual Diversity in U.S. Higher Education: Contexts and Opportunities for LGBTQ College Students (New Directions for Student Services). Jossey-Bass.

Tatum, B. D. (2017). Why are all the Black kids sitting together in the cafeteria?: And other conversations about race (20th Anniversary ed.). Basic Books.

Thompson, A. (2003). Tiffany, friend of people of color: White investments in antiracism. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 16(1), 7–29. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0951839032000033509

Thompson, B. (1999). Subverting racism from within: Linking White identity to activism. In C. Clark & J. O'Donnell (Eds.), Becoming and unbecoming White: Owning and disowning a racial identity (pp. 64–77). Bergin & Garvey.

Thompson, C. E., & Carter, R. T. (1997). Racial identity theory: Applications to individual, group, and organizational interventions. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Tropp, L. R., & Pettigrew, T. F. (2005). Relationships between intergroup contact and prejudice among minority and majority status groups. Psychological Science, 16(12), 951–957. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2005.01643.x

Woodford, M. R., Joslin, J. Y., Pitcher, E. N., & Renn, K. A. (2017). A mixed-methods inquiry into trans* environmental microaggressions on college campuses: Experiences and outcomes. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 26(1–2), 95–111. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15313204.2016.1263817

Woodford, M. R., Joslin, J. Y., & Renn, K. A. (2016). LGBTQ students on campus: Fostering inclusion through research, policy, and practice. In P. A. Pasque, N. Ortega, & J. C. Burkhardt, & M. P. Ting. (Eds.), Transforming understandings of diversity in higher education: Demography, democracy and discourse (pp. 57-80). Stylus.

Vaccaro, A. (2012). Campus microclimates for LGBT faculty, staff, and students: An exploration of the intersections of social identity and campus roles. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, (49)4, 429–446. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/jsarp-2012-6473