By Leon Singh
A new student-led research project at De Montfort University (DMU) is exploring the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ students, with the potential to influence inclusive teaching and student support nationally.
Pride Pathways, created by second-year Creative Writing student Finola, focuses on understanding how queer students experience belonging, identity and community within higher education.
Based at DMU but designed with wider impact in mind, the project combines storytelling and academic research to capture voices that are often unheard.
Finola said the idea emerged after repeatedly hearing similar experiences from queer peers.
“I kept hearing quiet stories of students feeling unseen, misunderstood or unsure where they belonged,” they explained. “Those experiences weren’t being captured anywhere, yet they had so much value.”
The project is taking the form of a podcast supported by workshops, interviews and storytelling sessions.
Participants share both positive and negative experiences, ranging from joy and resilience to challenges around safety, accessibility and representation.
“It isn’t all negative,” Finola added. “There are stories of pride and community too, and those matter just as much.”
Unlike traditional university initiatives, Pride Pathways prioritises lived experience over policy.
“It doesn’t tell queer students what they should say,” Finola said. “It listens to what they actually want to say.”
Academically, the research will contribute to case studies, staff training materials and potentially national studies on queer identity and student experience.
Findings are expected to inform inclusive teaching practices and support services, helping staff better understand how everyday interactions can shape student wellbeing.
Finola believes the project could act as a model beyond DMU.
“The themes we’re seeing reflect national issues in UK higher education,” they said. “With the right partnerships, this could become a sector-wide approach.”
As conversations around LGBTQ+ identities continue nationally, Pride Pathways aims to ensure queer students are not just discussed, but genuinely heard.
