Double jeopardy: Top drivers pushing Latinx LGBTQ+ students out of college

By Magin Sanchez, Policy Analyst, Higher Education, UnidosUS 

This year’s Pride celebrations have been marked by an increasingly hostile struggle for equality for LGBTQ+ rights throughout the country. Latinx LGBTQ+ students also face systemic barriers and intersectional challenges that make completing college even more difficult.  

Fifty years since Washington, DC’s first LGBTQ+ Pride celebration, an estimated 3 million people will embark on the city to celebrate World Pride 2025. Every year, LGBTQ+ Pride festivities commemorate the contributions and resistance of a community fighting for equality, freedom and justice. 

Marking this year’s celebrations, however, is an increasingly hostile struggle for equality for LGBTQ+ rights throughout the country.  

As of May 23, only Vermont and the District of Columbia have yet to propose one of the 588 anti-LGBTQ+ state bills introduced this year, according to the ACLU. In fact, since 2023, the Human Rights Campaign, a leading LGBTQ+ advocacy organization, has declared a national state of emergency for LGBTQ+ Americans.  

College campuses have been at the epicenter of this struggle — from canceled affinity graduation ceremonies to the closure of LGBTQ+ centers, and efforts to roll back federal protections for transgender students. LGBTQ+ students are facing renewed federal and institutional attacks on themselves and their community.   

For Latinx LGBTQ+ college students, these challenges are a continuation of long-standing barriers that inhibit their ability to succeed.  

A growing population of Latinx college students 

A 2025 Gallup Survey found that more than one in five Gen Z adults ages 18-26 identify as LGBTQ+, vastly exceeding self-identification rates of previous generations. Similarly, 19.8% of respondents in UnidosUS’ Survey of Latinos in Higher Education identified as LGBTQ+. These findings correspond with national trends: 42% of LGBTQ+ adults of color identify with the community, and 21% are Latinx.  

Colleges are unable to adequately serve their Latinx student population — who represent 1 in 5 undergraduates — without addressing the challenges faced by their Latinx LGBTQ+ students. Our survey reveals that there is still considerable work to be done.  

Facing double jeopardy 

At predominantly white institutions (PWIs), Latinx LGBTQ+ students often feel a sense of “double jeopardy” — experiencing exclusion both from their cultural upbringing and from the larger, often white-dominated LGBTQ+ community. 

Merdeith Worthen’s research paper, “Gay Equals White?”, discusses the intersectional challenges Latinx LGBTQ+ students face both at home and in school. Cultural norms such as machismo — a perceived Latino gender norm emphasizing hypermasculinity and male dominance — and weaponized religiosity, where faith is used to reinforce gender roles and anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes, often leave these students feeling discouraged and rejected by their own communities and households.  

Upon arriving to PWIs, despite the hope for acceptance, many Latinx students report further rejection due to stigma and alienation within the broader LGBTQ+ community, which has historically failed to center the voices of communities of color. Through these intersecting racial, cultural and LGBTQ+ identities, we see the challenges Latinx LGBTQ+ students face, as reflected in our data. 

Facing a staggering completion gap 

According to UnidosUS’ Survey of Latinos in Higher Education, a staggering 71% of Latinx LGBTQ+ postsecondary students have considered leaving school at some point, and 39% have done so. These rates are 5 points higher than Latinx students overall.  

That means nearly 2 out of every 5 Latinx LGBTQ+ college students have dropped out without earning a degree. This reflects broader systemic challenges that prevent degree completion and retention.  

The top reason cited for considering leaving school by 89% of Latinx LGBTQ+ college students was mental or emotional stress, 5 points greater than Latinx students overall. Given the stressors these students face, it’s easy to understand why these rates are so high.  

Consider the following findings of experiences felt by Latinx LGBTQ+ college students: 

• 88% reported experiencing food insecurity 

• 78% reported working while attending college, including 30% who did so full time 

• 51% heard about efforts to cut Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts on campuses 

• 45% were disappointed and discouraged about completing their studies due to campuses events 

• 20% have experienced the closure of an affinity center on their campuses 

There is not one single stressor, but rather overlapping, compounding barriers that push students out of college.   

It’s difficult to imagine anyone not experiencing emotional or mental stress when they’re constantly hungry, exhausted and fearful of the environment around them. How can someone succeed under those conditions?  

And that’s not to mention the violence faced by LGBTQ+ individuals, and the intersection of such experiences with economic class, race and gender expression.  

Yet, many Latinx LGBTQ+ college students persevere against unimaginable odds, driven by the search for a better life. 

Making Aspirational Dreams Possible  

Despite the obstacles, Latinx LGBTQ+ students still pursue college as a pathway to upward socioeconomic mobility. 54% cite getting a well-paying job as one of their top reasons for attending college, a rate higher than among Latinx students overall.  

Other top motivators include gaining new knowledge and skills (37%), pursuing a more fulfilling career (35%) and providing for their families (33%). These responses reflect a clear aspirational drive that motivates these students to persevere.  

Colleges and policymakers have a moral and mission-driven responsibility to eliminate barriers standing in the way of student success. Latinx LGBTQ+ students are resilient, but that resilience should not be used as an excuse for their complacency. 

By providing comprehensive support services that meet basic needs, such as access to housing and food, tuition-free public college and student debt relief, as well as implementing culturally responsive and affirming campus policies, we can begin to cultivate an environment where every student can succeed, regardless of their race, gender identity or sexual orientation.  

As we celebrate World Pride 2025, we’re reminded that through the mobilization of our community and allies, we can make progress towards equity, freedom, and justice. We owe this to our Latinx LGBTQ+ students, who need to see our education leaders and policymakers stand up with them, in pushing back on the barriers and attacks such students endure.  

True Latinx student success cannot be attained unless together, we fight for the inclusion and success of all our students. Let’s show up for these brilliant and resilient students, now and always.  

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Magin Misael Sanchez is the higher education policy analyst at UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization. The son of Salvadoran immigrants, an LGBTQ+ identifying individual and a first-generation college student, he works to drive a policy agenda that eliminates barriers for Latinx college students, ensuring a truly equitable postsecondary system.