Thriving on Campus

Dedicated to fostering thriving among 2SLGBTQ+ students on college and university campuses, this comprehensive collection brings together pioneering research, rich theoretical discussions, and practice-informed insights aimed at enhancing inclusion, academic development, and wellbeing for 2SLGBTQ+ students.

This book addresses crucial gaps in understanding campus climate and academic and wellbeing outcomes for diverse 2SLGBTQ+ students. It also provides examples of campus-based initiatives to foster students’ belonging and flourishing. It highlights the experiences of often-overlooked subgroups, including asexual and nonbinary students, and those with multiple marginalized identities, such as students of color and disabled students. Alongside exploring experiences of exclusion, the book emphasizes students’ strengths and resilience, offering insights for developing socially responsive institutional policies and programs. Uniquely, to inform meaningful change on campuses, the book presents illustrations of campus-based 2SLGBTQ+ initiatives, with several focusing on students often excluded from dominant “LGBT” narratives and student services. Chapters cover a range of topics including mental health and wellbeing support, academic engagement, community building, advocacy, and institutional change efforts.

Thriving On Campus amplifies diverse voices and experiences and showcases innovative practices, offering essential guidance to create inclusive, supportive environments for all 2SLGBTQ+ students in higher education. The chapters in this book were originally published in 2024 as a special issue of the Journal of LGBT Youth. Later in 2024 the journal’s name changed to the International Journal of LGBTQ+ Youth Studies.

Michael R. Woodford (he/him/his), PhD, Professor, Lyle S. Hallman Faculty of Social Work, Wilfrid Laurier University. Michael’s research centers on the inclusion and wellbeing of 2SLGBTQ+ communities, primarily focusing on campus climate, microaggressions, and resilience. Recently, he led the Thriving On Campus project, engaging nearly 3900 2SLGBTQ+ students across Ontario. Committed to social justice, Michael’s research prioritizes identifying actionable change to foster students’ belonging and flourishing.

Antonio Duran (he/him/his), PhD, Associate Professor, Higher and Postsecondary Education, Arizona State University. Antonio’s research involves understanding how historical and contemporary legacies of oppression influence college student development, experiences, and success. In particular, he is passionate about uplifting the perspectives of queer and trans communities of color, as well as theories and frameworks grounded in these experiences.

Tin D. Vo (he/they), PhD, Assistant Professor, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto. Tin’s interdisciplinary, equity-focused research centers on social climate and exclusion as determinants of health. Using a critical lens, his research evaluates policies and systems and explores intersectional lived experiences of historically marginalized communities to enhance their belonging and wellbeing in various contexts, including 2SLGBTQ+ leisure spaces and higher education institutions.

Corey W. Johnson (he/him/his), PhD, Karla Henderson Distinguished Professor of Social Justice, Department of Park, Recreation and Tourism Management, College of Natural Resources, North Carolina State University. Corey’s scholarship focuses on power relations between dominant and non-dominant populations. He has received substantial support to create safer environments for 2SLGBTQ+ youth in camps, secondary schools, universities, and detention centers. He is also a qualitative methodologist with several books on the subject, including Fostering Social Justice through Qualitative Inquiry.

Lee Airton (they/them), PhD, Associate Professor, Gender and Sexuality Studies in Education, Faculty of Education, Queen’s University. Lee’s research explores how Canadian schools and teacher education integrate gender identity and gender expression human rights. The second edition of their book Gender: Your Guide – The Gender-Friendly Primer on What to Know, What to Say and What to Do in the New Gender Culture was released in 2024.

Simon Coulombe (he/him/his), PhD, Associate Professor, Industrial Relations Department, Université Laval. Intersecting several fields of psychology, Simon’s research aims to explore factors that could be leveraged to promote the positive wellbeing of people, particularly those from marginalized groups, including 2SLGBTQ+ students. At Laval, he holds the Relief Research Chair in Mental Health, Self-Management, and Work.