Being LGBTQIA+ in Law School

 I think it is really important to talk about how law school can be different for each student based on identity (in-state/out of state, economic status, race, gender, etc.) because I believe this makes a huge difference in our experiences of belongingness. The issue of belongingness goes beyond the emotional, and can actually effect how well you may do in school. One study found that having a greater sense of belonging is associated with high academic performance. I believe this to be true, as our emotional wellbeing can really effect our concentration and confidence in school which effects our performance. So what about those of us who are rarely represented in the law school population and legal population as a whole? In this article, I will be talking about being in the LGBTQIA+ community in law school. To put things in perspective for the article, in a 2021 study, only 5.35% associates identify at LGBTQIA+ and only 2.31% of partners identify as LGBTQIA+.

I knew nothing about Stetson until I received an email from them about them being a high LGBTQIA+ friendly school. I got this email because on the LSAC application, they ask you if you identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community. I said yes. They then asked if law schools could send me emails based on this answer. I said yes, because why not. Funny enough thats how I found out about Stetson as they emailed me on the basis of their inclusivity. Its one of the reasons I choose Stetson. However, even as it is one of the most LGBTQIA+ friendly law schools in the nation, I found myself feeling pretty out of place in law school. I don't think this is a Stetson problem, but one facing all law schools and the legal profession as it is still dragging itself out of the male white cisgender hetrosexual history the legal profession has (as Professor Bassett talked about in one of his presentations on demographics). I can’t find the brochure now, but I remember looking at the Stetson Law demographics of my class and only 3% identified as LGBTQIA+. I remember how alone I felt in that moment, especially knowing that these statistics were probably higher than other law schools. 

Fortunately Stetson does have a wonderful Lambda Legal society. We are even the first law school to host a drag event. This is great, but how do we help bring in more LGBTQIA+ students and what support is there for them? Being LGBTQIA+ in law school can be a scary experience, as you often feel underrepresented in classrooms, by professors (although we do have some wonderful LGBTQIA staff), and in conversations in general. Most conversations in the classroom only talk about people in the binary, male and female, without any recognition of nonbinary folks. Even talk about “appropriate courtroom attire” is very gendered, like men must wear suits and women must wear business dresses, etc. which can be daunting for even non-LGBTQIA+ people, like women who just don’t prefer wearing dresses and heels. The law profession still suffers from pretty extreme sexism, so we are still struggling to get out of that as well. As well as a staggering low rate of racial diversity in law school and the legal profession. What can we do to make law schools a more inclusive place and actively work towards a more diverse thriving community? It feels like society has started becoming more inclusive but the law profession still struggles to break out of its norms like a baby bird struggling to get out of an egg. 

My point is, being in law school is hard, period. But factors of belongingness can make things a lot harder. I want people to start thinking about these things, even if you don’t identify with the things listed above. I want to end the article by saying that this is an article solely of my own thoughts as an LGBTQIA+ law student. I do not mean to offend anyone, put anyone down or speak for anyone else. This is simply my experience and I appreciate everyone’s respectful listening ear.