Documenting the Experiences of Gay Latinos in Higher Education through the use of Testimonio

This qualitative study focuses on the stories of six self-Identified Gay Latinos in a higher education. The participant’s stories are documented using Testimonio. The six men were uniquely situated to give their testimonios about their campus experiences of seeking support in that they were the narrators of the experiences. Key findings indicated a pipeline of support which began with supportive families. Multidimensional identity was well defined by the participants as understanding of being both Latino and Gay. The participants, while exploring campus spaces for support, found themselves navigating through one identity or the other resulting in a process of selective identity. Ultimately, the participants made decisions about safe-supportive spaces based on how they identity. Certain spaces such as LGBTQ resources did not meet their multidimensional needs. All participants found support with one or more campus resource from which they could identify as Latinos, but not necessarily as Latino and Gay men. The testimonios in this study allowed for deep exploration of the participants campus experiences of support. Their stories allowed for a theoretical analysis through the frameworks of Critical Race theory, Latino Critical Theory, and Queer Critical Theory. These stories can serve to inform higher education about the needs of LGBTQ students of color