Other Queer People Are my Entire Sense of Belonging

Of the research examining undergraduate students' belongingness, monolithic approaches to LGBTQ+ student studies are common. Bisexual, pansexual, and other multi-gender attracted students (also known via umbrella terms such as plurisexual, bisexual+, or multi-sexual spectrum) are relatively understudied, despite calls for a more thorough understanding of the unique experiences of LGBTQ+ student sub-populations. This study addresses this gap by examining 19 plurisexual undergraduate students' sense of belonging at a regional university, utilizing rich qualitative interviews. Findings evidenced simultaneous acceptance of bi+ identity and a permeation of monosexist stigma, ignorance, and erasure on campus. These factors contribute to a fluid sense of belonging, marked by peer interactions, LGBTQ+ resource contention, and faculty tensions. These findings have significant implications for inclusive practice/research focused on the nuance of m-spec experiences

Higher education · Pedagogy · Political science · Psychology of self · Queer · Sense of community · Sense of humor · Sense of place · Social science · Sociology · Engineering · Gender Studies · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy · Psychology · Social Psychology

• “It’s Inauthentic, but I Also Don’t Want to Get Responses from Men About Threesomes”

  Olivia M Copeland•Journal of Bisexuality•2026

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