Over the last decade, the number of SWIDs interested in postsecondary opportunities has increased. This is partially in response to the HEOA of 2008, which opened the door to more educational opportunities and supports for SWIDs; SWIDs can now consider college an option, not just a dream. As a result, the demand for new programs continues to grow…

This study, a multisite qualitative case study, examines the responses of three institutions of higher education to normative disruption of the gender binary. Normative disruption, or the challenging of the social status quo, occurs when power structures in society are pushed back against. Central to this study is the use of open systems theory,…

In this dissertation, I explored how residence life professionals are teaching social justice. Using critically informed qualitative methods, I conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 student affairs professionals who are responsible for ongoing social justice-oriented initiatives in residence life. I also analyzed documents associated with…

Gender inclusive housing (GIH) is widely viewed as a best practice to include trans* students within collegiate residence halls. Because of this insistence that GIH is an inclusive strategy, GIH has become a national trend across universities. Yet, in spite of GIH's increasing popularity, there is a dearth in the literature on the effectiveness of…

U.S. colleges and universities are sites where cultural norms such as genderism and transphobia are reified through institutional policies and practices. Any place on the college campus that segregates students by sex and gender can serve to limit access and success of trans* students. In order to gain insight into how key institutional agents…