Introduction: A call to action for affirming all LGBTQ+ students in higher education

ABSTRACT

This introductory chapter provides a brief description about the book and its subsequent chapters. The book covers the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color, and other marginalized student communities, in the narrative about supporting LGBTQ+ students in higher education. In 2021, LGBTQ+ college students are struggling in the midst of two pandemics, COVID-19 pandemic and the systemic racism, violence, and murders of Black people at the hands of police officers in the United States. Colleges and universities are also grappling with precisely how to challenge systemic racism on their campuses while managing the stress of navigating a public health pandemic in residential university and college settings. The book provides university faculty, staff, administrators, and students with more information on LGBTQ+ college students, who have been typically neglected or ignored in discussions about the wellness and needs of LGBTQ+ college students. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)