Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other gender/sexual identities (LGBTQ+) have been subjects of research throughout history, impacting the way they are perceived socially. Experiences of LGBTQ+ people vary not only by person but also by geographic area (rural, urban, and suburban). The focus of this study is the social acceptance of LGBTQ+ identities in high schools in these geographic areas. The overall research question is as follows: How do LGBTQ+ students’ perceptions of social acceptance differ across urban, suburban, and rural high schools? It was hypothesized that students who attended rural schools will feel lower levels of social acceptance than their peers at urban and suburban schools. Participants of this study were graduates of Michigan high schools who identify as LGBTQ+. They were asked questions about perceived feelings of safety in school, rates of harassment and bullying, and characteristics of their school, including access to LGBTQ+ resources. The goal of this study is to better understand the experiences of LGBTQ+ high school students, further develop research involving this community, and provide a statistical representation of these experiences.
","abstract_html":"<p>Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other gender/sexual identities (LGBTQ+) have been subjects of research throughout history, impacting the way they are perceived socially. Experiences of LGBTQ+ people vary not only by person but also by geographic area (rural, urban, and suburban). The focus of this study is the social acceptance of LGBTQ+ identities in high schools in these geographic areas. The overall research question is as follows: How do LGBTQ+ students’ perceptions of social acceptance differ across urban, suburban, and rural high schools? It was hypothesized that students who attended rural schools will feel lower levels of social acceptance than their peers at urban and suburban schools. Participants of this study were graduates of Michigan high schools who identify as LGBTQ+. They were asked questions about perceived feelings of safety in school, rates of harassment and bullying, and characteristics of their school, including access to LGBTQ+ resources. The goal of this study is to better understand the experiences of LGBTQ+ high school students, further develop research involving this community, and provide a statistical representation of these experiences.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Gerwig, Jordyn"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Grigoris Argeros, PhD","Robert Orrange, PhD"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2026,"date_issued":"2026-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2026-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:53Z","subjects":["Sociology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1339","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Grigoris Argeros, PhD","Robert Orrange, PhD"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Gerwig, Jordyn"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2026-06-22T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Sociology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1339"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other gender/sexual identities (LGBTQ+) have been subjects of research throughout history, impacting the way they are perceived socially. Experiences of LGBTQ+ people vary not only by person but also by geographic area (rural, urban, and suburban). The focus of this study is the social acceptance of LGBTQ+ identities in high schools in these geographic areas. The overall research question is as follows: How do LGBTQ+ students’ perceptions of social acceptance differ across urban, suburban, and rural high schools? It was hypothesized that students who attended rural schools will feel lower levels of social acceptance than their peers at urban and suburban schools. Participants of this study were graduates of Michigan high schools who identify as LGBTQ+. They were asked questions about perceived feelings of safety in school, rates of harassment and bullying, and characteristics of their school, including access to LGBTQ+ resources. The goal of this study is to better understand the experiences of LGBTQ+ high school students, further develop research involving this community, and provide a statistical representation of these experiences.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Social perception of rural and urban LGBTQ+ high school students"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Grigoris Argeros, PhD","Robert Orrange, PhD"],"dc:creator":["Gerwig, Jordyn"],"dc:date.available":["2026-06-22T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other gender/sexual identities (LGBTQ+) have been subjects of research throughout history, impacting the way they are perceived socially. Experiences of LGBTQ+ people vary not only by person but also by geographic area (rural, urban, and suburban). The focus of this study is the social acceptance of LGBTQ+ identities in high schools in these geographic areas. The overall research question is as follows: How do LGBTQ+ students’ perceptions of social acceptance differ across urban, suburban, and rural high schools? It was hypothesized that students who attended rural schools will feel lower levels of social acceptance than their peers at urban and suburban schools. Participants of this study were graduates of Michigan high schools who identify as LGBTQ+. They were asked questions about perceived feelings of safety in school, rates of harassment and bullying, and characteristics of their school, including access to LGBTQ+ resources. The goal of this study is to better understand the experiences of LGBTQ+ high school students, further develop research involving this community, and provide a statistical representation of these experiences.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1339"],"dc:subject":["Sociology"],"dc:title":["Social perception of rural and urban LGBTQ+ high school students"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:53Z"}