Luke

As welcoming and diverse as many college campuses can be for students, home is often the opposite.

For Luke and other queer students who aren’t out to their families or fully accepted by them, a sudden shift to remote learning didn’t just mean awkward Zoom classes, missing out on seeing friends and graduating virtually from the couch.

There’s academic life, which is the classroom ― the classroom can be delivered through online learning to some extent,” said Shane Windmeyer, executive director of Campus Pride, a national nonprofit working to create a safer college environment for LGBTQ students.

Being at home can also be painful or downright dangerous if parents and family members don’t accept queer students for who they are.

Luke and Jordan, a third-year student in the Boston area, both say they were sexually assaulted at school but can’t be open about it with their respective parents.