LGBQ students’ experiences of heteronormativity in higher education institutions: focusing on Japan as the national context

Focusing on North American and European countries, previous studies have documented how heteronormativity operates in higher education institutions, but little is known about the degree to which these results reflect the Western context and the ways in which campus heteronormativity operates in other countries. To help answer these questions, the present study examined the implications of national contexts for campus heteronormativity while focusing on Japan as an example. The analysis of in-depth interview data showed that a large majority of Japanese lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) students described their institutions as unfriendly or hostile to them. Their explanations highlighted peer relationships as a site for heteronormativity, which manifested in straight peers’ gossip about LGBQ students, outing attempts, and use of LGBQ kyaras in their group interactions. These patterns of peer interactions indicated influences of a social discourse in Japan that defined same-sex sexuality as a private matter as well as an interaction rule that distinguished between private feelings and public performances. The results were compared to a previous US study based on an equivalent design. Overall, the results underscored the importance of national contexts for understanding heteronormativity in higher education institutions.