Abstract

Once enrolled in college, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) students may have to navigate heterosexism within higher education. In doing so, they might deem some fields of study as more accepting of queer discussions and queer people than others. This article uses in-depth interview data from 20 queer college students to describe the process by which respondents constructed some majors or disciplines, especially STEM fields, as queer-free and others, especially the social sciences, as queer-friendly. The discussion highlights how the academic tracking of queer students into queer-friendly fields reproduces inequalities both on campus and beyond, such as in later careers. Several policy suggestions for educators and administrators geared at reducing the “chilly” environment for queer students are noted in the conclusion.

摘要

一旦进入大学，女同性恋、男同性恋、双性恋、跨性别和酷儿 (LGBTQ+) 学生可能不得不在高等教育中驾驭异性恋。这样一来，他们可能会认为某些研究领域比其他领域更容易接受酷儿讨论和酷儿人群。本文使用来自 20 位酷儿大学生的深度访谈数据来描述受访者将某些专业或学科（尤其是 STEM 领域）构建为无酷儿，而将其他专业或学科（尤其是社会科学）构建为酷儿友好的过程。讨论强调了酷儿学生进入酷儿友好领域的学术追踪如何再现校园内外的不平等，例如在以后的职业生涯中。结论中指出了一些针对教育工作者和管理人员旨在减少酷儿学生“寒冷”环境的政策建议。