LGBTQ Students at Colgate: Negotiating Identity and Community in Institutional Contexts

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of what it means to be an LGBTQ student at Colgate and to construct a comprehensive narrative of how LGBTQ students negotiate their identities in relation to the LGBTQ community on campus. I conducted 15 interviews with LGBTQ-identifying students on campus. Participants were recruited primarily through Lambda. Some major topics covered were: navigating different campus spaces; talking about identity in different social and academic settings; relationships with friends, professors, and other students; Colgate as an institution; and personal understanding of identity.