This paper addresses a gap in research on lad culture in British Higher Education (HE) by addressing how gender diverse students understand their subjectivities within this context. To do so, we introduce the concept of 'laddish misrecognition'. Drawing on Benjamin and Fraser, we suggest both psychic and social mechanisms are at play in this mis/recognition. We also draw on Muñoz's 'disidentification' to explore what it means to live in this space. We apply this to discussions with 11 LGBTQIA+ students. We identify the complexity of their negotiations regarding: identifications with masculinity versus distancing oneself from 'the lad'; being misrecognised as 'a lad', and wanting to challenge this; and navigating femininity and same-sex relationships while being misrecognised as heterosexual. By exploring accounts that are often positioned at the margins of discussion about lad culture (i.e. not predominantly heterosexual, cisgender), we suggest laddish misrecognition shows how identities are formed in-difference.