Institutionalizing Safe Spaces: LGBTQ+ Resource Centers at U.S. Colleges and Universities.

Abstract

LGBTQ+ resource centers offer multiple forms of support to LGBTQ+ students at U.S. colleges and universities, but in the wake of recent legislation curtailing diversity, equity, and inclusion-related initiatives in higher education, we know little about their current prevalence and why some schools maintain LGBTQ+ resource centers while others do not. Drawing on a comprehensive database of 1,756 four-year, not-for-profit U.S. colleges and universities, we first show that a relatively small percentage of U.S. colleges and universities (14%) currently maintains LGBTQ+ resource centers. Employing binary logistic regression analysis, we then show that larger, selective, public colleges and universities that have higher percentages of full-time students and are located in progressive areas exhibit significantly higher odds of hosting LGBTQ+ resource centers. The study represents one of the most comprehensive analyses to date of college- and university-based LGBTQ+ resource center presence and highlights the enduring structural barriers to LGBTQ+ inclusion in higher education.