Chase J. Catalano, an associate professor and transgender scholar in the Virginia Tech School of Education, wants LGBTQ+ students to feel like they belong.

Prior to joining Virginia Tech, Catalano served as the director of the LGBTQ Resource Center at Syracuse University. During that time, he often worried if he was meeting the needs of students, especially those who did not feel comfortable disclosing their sexual orientation or gender identity. 

This concern continues to motivate his research on how LGBTQ+ centers can provide resources to students in higher education. 

In his 2015 article, “Beyond Virtual Equality: Liberatory Consciousness as a Path to Achieve Trans* Inclusion in Higher Education,” Catalano proposes a model that “requires continuous commitment, individually and collectively, by faculty, staff, and students.” Alongside students’ self-advocacy and the passing of policies such as Title IX – a federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in educational settings – his research asserts that institutions must remain accountable to the actions they implement towards inclusion of all gender identities and expressions.

Under Title IX revisions that went into effect in August, LGBTQ+ students and educators are protected from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Among its many expansions, the legislation prohibits transgender bathroom bans and considers repeated misgendering a possible act of sex-based harassment.  

Catalano spoke to the influential shift this legislation is having on LGBTQ+ students.

“They have been taught how to get through,” Catalano said. “They’ve been taught compliance. They’ve never been taught how to think about liberation and emancipatory possibilities. [The Title IX protections] impact the way they think about hope.”

Why is this important?

In the 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People, 90% of LGBTQ+ youth said their “well-being was negatively impacted due to recent politics,” and more specifically, “45% of transgender and non-binary young people reported that they or their family have considered moving to a different state because of LGBTQ+-related politics and laws.”  

Because many of these young people are entering college and university campuses, Catalano’s research provides a timely examination of the ways higher education might embrace this vulnerable population.

“There are lots of students that show up at college and have never explored their gender and have never explored their sexuality or who are waiting to come to these campuses to do their exploration,” Catalano said. “How do we reach them?”

Virginia Tech’s Pride Center offers resources that align with Catalano’s vision. In addition to their recent programming for LGBTQ+ History Month, the center holds career and professional development workshops, maintains an updated list of gender-inclusive restrooms, and hosts support groups for LGBTQ+-identifying students.

While these efforts provide crucial steps toward equity for the LGBTQ+ population, Catalano said not all states are following suit. North Carolina, Texas, and Utah’s university systems recently repealed diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, removing funding for diversity-focused programs and staff.

“This is an issue that’s impacting all minoritized communities who have cultural-based centers as ways of providing support for students,” Catalano stated.

Amidst these precarious legislative decisions, Catalano remains hopeful yet firm.

“Liberatory possibilities are the antidote,” he said.