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<p>Though there is a significant, international body of literature on the experiences of queer university students, comparatively little is written about the higher education pathways of queer students, especially for those who are working class or live in regional or rural areas. This paper presents data collected from surveys, interviews and focus groups with 93 queer students at two Australian universities who are in, or have completed, an ‘enabling’ pathway program. Participants reflected on a range of barriers to their higher education pathway, including homophobia and transphobia, ableism or a lack of family support. Commonly reported issues related to social class, financial difficulties and living in regional and rural areas, which often exacerbated these other barriers. Our thematic analysis generated three sub-themes related to class and rurality: the isolation of being queer in the country, heteronormative rural orientations, and a ‘cost burden’ of being queer and trans that demands a focus on paid work instead of higher education. We examine the implications of these findings for equity practices in higher education, emphasising ‘critical enabling pedagogies’ and the need for an intersectional approach to thinking about categories such as ‘socioeconomic status’, rurality, disability, and indeed, gender identity and sexuality.</p>

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‘Do I have to go through all of that again?’ Class and rurality as barriers in the higher education pathways of queer students

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年8月13日

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  • Barrie Shannon,
  • Michelle Mansfield,
  • Sarah Hattam,
  • Zoë Griffiths

摘要

Though there is a significant, international body of literature on the experiences of queer university students, comparatively little is written about the higher education pathways of queer students, especially for those who are working class or live in regional or rural areas. This paper presents data collected from surveys, interviews and focus groups with 93 queer students at two Australian universities who are in, or have completed, an ‘enabling’ pathway program. Participants reflected on a range of barriers to their higher education pathway, including homophobia and transphobia, ableism or a lack of family support. Commonly reported issues related to social class, financial difficulties and living in regional and rural areas, which often exacerbated these other barriers. Our thematic analysis generated three sub-themes related to class and rurality: the isolation of being queer in the country, heteronormative rural orientations, and a ‘cost burden’ of being queer and trans that demands a focus on paid work instead of higher education. We examine the implications of these findings for equity practices in higher education, emphasising ‘critical enabling pedagogies’ and the need for an intersectional approach to thinking about categories such as ‘socioeconomic status’, rurality, disability, and indeed, gender identity and sexuality.