ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with a short introductory vignette of one participant, Wren (an African American queer non-binary boi), who was enrolled at a small public historically white institution in the Midwest. Wren’s story introduces the chapter on intersectional influences because Wren frequently referenced an “institutional energy” that made it difficult for Queer Students of Color to thrive on campus. Moreover, he described the larger societal issues that marginalized those who identify as Queer People of Color. This chapter focuses on the first finding from the study showing that the manifestations of overlapping systems of power intricately shaped every aspect of the identity exploration process for Queer Students of Color. Participants spoke about how they encountered racism, heterosexism, and other forms of oppression in five different sites. Specifically, participants referenced historically white institutions, local contexts (i.e., towns and cities), sociopolitical climates, cultural dynamics/norms, and interpersonal interactions as ways that they saw power operating in their lives.
