Class and rurality as barriers in the higher education pathways of queer young people

Though there is a large, international body of research on the experiences of queer university and college students, comparatively little research has been undertaken that examines the higher education pathways of queer students. Further, there is a gap in the literature that specifically attends to educational pathways for queer students that are working class or live in regional or rural areas. This paper presents data collected from surveys, interviews and focus groups with a total of 93 queer students at two Australian universities who are in or have completed an enabling equity pathway program to gain entry to an undergraduate degree. Participants reflected on a range of barriers to their higher education pathway, including interpersonal and institutional homophobia and transphobia, ableism or a lack of family support. However, the most significant barrier that was expressed among the cohort related to social class, financial difficulties and living in regional and rural areas, which often exacerbated or overlapped with other barriers. Our thematic analysis generated three sub-themes related to class and rurality: isolation from queer communities, 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 increasing participation in higher education, emphasising the need for an intersectional approach to thinking about categories such as ‘socioeconomic status’, rurality, disability, and indeed, gender identity and sexuality.