Perceptions of SGM university climate and discriminatory behaviors: Findings from Italian academic settings.

erceptions of SGM university climate and discriminatory behaviors: Findings from Italian academic settings Giulia Graziano1, Sara Costa1, Salvatore Ioverno1 1Department of Education, Roma Tre University Abstract Background. Although universities are often assumed to be inclusive environments, sexual and gender minority (SGM) students continue to report discriminatory experiences, including overt and subtle forms of harassment, both on campuses and online academic spaces. While prior research has examined these issues individually, there is a lack of integrated evidence exploring the interplay between university climate, microaggressions, online discrimination, and identity concealment among SGM students in higher education systems. The aim of this study is to investigate how perceived campus climate, experiences of microaggressions, and exposure to online hate speech (OHS) are associated with identity concealment and perceived discrimination among SGM students enrolled in different academic fields. Methods. Data were collected through multiple non-probability sampling methods via an online survey. The sample included 366 SGM students (Mage=22.9, SD=3.9) from Italian universities. Most of the sample consisted of cisgender women (43.8%) and men (34.0%), non-binary students (16.2%), transgender men (4.7%) and women (1.4%). Regarding sexual orientation, 33.2% described themselves as gay/lesbian, 45.5% as bisexual/pansexual, and 21.3% as other categories (e.g., asexual). The instruments included the Daily Heterosexist Experiences Questionnaire (Balsam et al., 2013) to assess experiences of discrimination; the Sexual Orientation Concealment Scale (Jackson & Mohr, 2016) to measure identity concealment; the Perceptions of LGBTQ College Campus Climate Scale (Szymanski & Bissonette, 2020) to evaluate perceived campus climate; the Sexual Orientation Microaggressions Scale (Nadal, 2019) to capture experiences of microaggressions; and an adapted version of the Online ethnic Hate Speech Scale (Stefanelli et al., 2023) to assess exposure to OHS on university networking sites. Participants reported their field of study and the number of university peers aware of their SGM identity (“outness to university peers”). Results. As shown in Table 1, regression analyses revealed that: a) microaggressions and identifying as transgender were associated with increased experiences of discrimination; b) microaggressions and identifying as man were positively associated with concealment, while outness to university peers was linked to lower levels of SGM identity withholding; c) negative university climate and microaggressions were significantly associated with higher exposure to OHS. After entering an interaction term between negative climate and field of study, only belonging to legal, economic, political and communication faculties was significantly associated with increased discrimination and OHS. Conclusions. This study highlights how negative campus climates and fields of study can intersect to shape the experiences of SGM students, both offline and online. The findings emphasize the importance of addressing systemic forms of discrimination within specific academic fields and the digital extension of university life. By identifying key factors associated with discrimination and concealment, this research offers actionable insights for developing targeted interventions and inclusive policies in higher education contexts.