Survey of International Student Advisors

by Nadine Kato

Gay, lesbian and bisexual international students studying in the United States face any number of issues or problems which are unique to their combined status as both international students and gay, lesbian and bisexual (GLB) students. Although international student advisors (ISAs) tend to be a primary resource for international students, most GLB international students do not consider approaching the ISA for help with GLB issues. Indeed, many international student advisors may not even realize that some of their students are lesbian, gay, or bisexual. For the ISAs who do, many do not have a sense of what the particular issues for GLB international students might be, nor how to make themselves visible resource options for these students.

INTRODUCTION
In order to get a general sense of ISA attitudes towards gay, lesbian and bisexual students, I conducted a survey. The survey consisted of nine multiple choice and short answer questions regarding demographics, ISAs' experience with GLB international students, ISAs' attitudes towards homosexuality and ISAs' impression of what the biggest problems are for GLB international students in the U.S.

METHODOLOGY
The survey was distributed exclusively over INTER-L, NAFSA: Association of International Educators' electronic professional network, which has over 2500 subscribers. The subject heading included the Council of Advisors to Foreign Students and Scholars (CAFSS) acronym, which limits the number of INTER-L subscribers that read the mail to those specifically interested in working with international students.

An informational letter about the research project was included with the survey, to provide readers with a context and to give meaning to their participation. A request for help in spreading the word to potential student survey participants was also included in the letter.

Thirty-three surveys were submitted by email within one week of when I sent the survey. Ten surveys were printed out and submitted by mail.

DEMOGRAPHICS
A total of 43 international student advisors from 20 states across the nation responded to the survey. Eight respondants were from California, five from Pennsylvania, and one to three each were from states representing all regions of the U.S. Respondants are from a fairly equal number of small (<5000), medium (5000-20,000) and large (>20,000) schools. Fifteen respondants are from schools with less than 200 international students, ten each are from schools with 200-500 and 500-1000 international students, five are from schools with 1000, and three are from schools with more than 3000.

ISA EXPERIENCE WITH GLB INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Of the 43 ISAs, 23 (53%) of them have never had an international student come to them specifically to discuss issues related to GLB identity, and 19 (44%) have never had the topic come up even in casual conversations. Eight (18%) say that in their career they have had one to three students specifically bring up GLB issues, six (13%) have one to three per year bring up the topic, and five (11%) have one to three per semester. None say that GLB issues are specifically brought up more than one to three times per semester.

Thirteen (30%) say that students' GLB identity has come up in casual conversations, but not as the focus of a discussion, one to three times in their career, eight (18%) say one to three times per year, and one each says it comes up one to three times per semester and per month. None have had it come up more than three times per month.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ADVISORS' ATTITUDES
As for ISA attitudes towards homosexuality, 28 (65%) feel it is natural and healthy, and are very comfortable with the subject. Nine (20%) are learning to be more comfortable with the subject, and seven (16%) feel it is okay for other people, but not for themselves. Two feel that homosexuality is abnormal behavior, and one feels that it is a sin.

All of the respondants know or are acquainted with at least one person who is gay, lesbian or bisexual, although one has never discussed the topic of homosexuality with anyone. Four (9%) respondants identify themselves as GLB, and three mention that they have GLB family members. Twenty-nine (67%) feel that being GLB is about one's identity, and 17 (39%) feel it is about having same-sex relationships. Most of the 17 who checked *same-sex relationship* also checked *identity.* Nineteen (44%) ISAs feel that people can choose their sexual orientation, but no one felt that being GLB is usually a phase that eventually passes. Eighteen (41%) have participated in GLB rights activities and/or Pride Parades.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ADVISORS' IMPRESSION OF PROBLEMS FACED
Respondants were asked to rank how greatly they thought GLB international students in the United States would be affected by seven potential problems. Nine ISAs rank *not knowing who to talk to about GLB issues* as the number one problem, and eight rank *isolation from other students from the same country* as number one. Five feel that *racism* is the biggest problem. Eleven ISAs rank *fear of returning to a less GLB-friendly home country* as number two.

No ISAs feel that *racism within the GLB community* is the number one problem, and in fact, most rate racism within the GLB community as fifth, sixth or seventh on the scale of seven. Only one person, a self-identified GLB, rates *racism within the GLB community* as the second biggest problem.* A fairly even number of respondants feel that *staying in the U.S. to remain with a long-term partner* is the largest problem as feel that it is not a problem at all. Nine repondants have declined ranking the problems because they feel they have no basis for judgement. Respondants also add the following ideas for potential problems faced by international GLB students in the U.S.: finances, culture, language, isolation from other students from any country, reducing selves to sexual identity stereotypes, and not knowing where to meet GLBs in the U.S.