University of Connecticut
PAE-T2-1: Gender Neutral Housing

Although there is no specifically “queer” floor or residence, there are 30 gender-neutral spots in five 2-room suites in Hilltop.

For the 2007-2008 Academic Year, the Department of Residential Life tried out a “gender free” housing option in one suite on-campus on a trial basis – this was a suite with 2 rooms attached through a shared bathroom and 3 students assigned to each room (6 students total in the suite) and this was a mix of male and female students assigned together in each room of the suite; a group of students who wanted that option and we worked with during the previous spring semester to place together for the following year. DRL found this was a positive experience for the students and decided to expand this option and continue to offer it to our returning residents.

The Gender Free housing on-campus remains primarily for returning students, but DRL will accept requests from new students if they would like this option. If space is available in Gender Free Housing, DRL will offer it to new students who request it.

DRL has found the Gender Free option to be desirable to some of the LGBTQA students on-campus, but through focus groups DRL has found that not all members in this community necessarily identify themselves as LGBTQA or as friends of LGBTQA. The students in Gender Free Housing have a wide variety of reasons for wanting this housing option.

Regarding transgender, genderqueer, and student seeking gender-neutral housing for other reasons (such as a brother and sister who want to live together), DRL doesn’t ask students for their reasons for applying for Gender Free housing, though sometimes they do self-disclose their reasons. DRL is careful to grant specific roommate requests for those students who apply for Gender Free Housing – they very often have specific individual(s) they want as roommates. Through assessments DRL has done for the students living in Gender Free Housing, their reasons for this housing option has included their self-identity as transgender or LGBTQA; or they want to live with friends and/or siblings who are a mix of male and female students; or they don’t tend to get along as well with students of the same gender and want roommates who identitfy as another gender.

All of the rooms in Gender Free Housing are currently located in 6-person/2-bedroom suites on-campus. There are 2 bedrooms in each suite connected through the bathroom for that suite; 3 students live in each bedroom of the suite (6 students total in each suite). DRL sets aside 30 spaces (5 suites total) for Gender Free Housing on-campus. A mix of male and female students will be assigned together within the same suite.