EDI Series #4 - Embracing gender and sexual diversity in higher education institutions

15 September 2023

by Chloe Yap
PhD student from the School of Arts and Social Sciences

In Malaysia, the effects of institutionalised gender and sexual discrimination continue to have a far-reaching, pervading influence on the lives of gender and sexual minorities. Many encounter instances of gender and sexual intolerance from family, peers, teachers, and other influential figures in their lives through violence, harassment, and other microaggressions.

As such, for many young people who face difficulties being open about their identities within their kinship communities, the increased independence they experience in their university years can be a formative time in their lives. Higher education has historically been and remains a positive site for students’ identity development – hence, it is important for higher education institutions to take steps towards embracing gender and sexual diversity on campus. Based on my own experiences as a PhD student and teaching assistant at Monash University Malaysia, I offer some thoughts and observations below on the benefits of creating a welcoming university environment for students of diverse genders and sexualities.

Creating an inclusive campus

Social inclusion of gender and sexual diversity on campus allows students to make the most of their university experience both academically and socially. Below, I have outlined several ways that universities can embed gender and sexual inclusivity in their practices and provisions.

Firstly, developing or strengthening policies to emphasise non-discriminatory practices contributes significantly towards a friendlier campus climate that recognises gender and sexual diversity within the campus community. Next, ensuring that academic opportunities are available for students to learn about topics and issues related to gender and sexuality creates spaces for them to explore their own identities while nurturing empathy and respect for others.

Support for student groups, societies, and events that celebrate gender and sexual diversity on campus also provides additional opportunities for students to meet and interact with like-minded peers, faculty, and staff. Last but not least, providing resources such as counselling services and proactive channels for reporting sexist, homophobic, or transphobic harassment is key to improving students’ mental health and well-being and encouraging feelings of belonging, safety, and inclusion.

Bringing inclusion into the classroom

At the classroom level, educators should endeavour to create a safe space for students to express their identities and engage with their peers freely without fear of discrimination and bullying. Based on my own experience as a teaching assistant, I have personally witnessed how inclusivity practices can facilitate critical discussions and positive interactions among students.

For example, making a point to learn and use students’ preferred gender pronouns is a good way to create an inclusive environment in which students feel safe, acknowledged, and respected. This also sets an example to students that gender identity is not something that can be assumed based on names or appearances.

Besides that, introducing guidelines for classroom interactions that emphasise the importance of treating one another respectfully can go a long way in encouraging meaningful engagements between students. Students are given the freedom and safety to grow and learn with the understanding that the classroom is a safe space in which diverse perspectives and experiences are accepted and valued.

Fostering an inclusive campus environment that affirms diverse genders, sexes, and sexualities offers many benefits to students’ university lives. Moving forward, increased attention should be given to the specific challenges faced by students with non-normative gender and sexual identities, with a particular focus on the complex social and political contexts that shape their experiences. In doing so, it allows for the alignment and implementation of policy, practice, and pedagogy that creates safer and more inclusive spaces for them to grow and thrive as young adults.