'It's Such a Wonderful Space and I Just Love Being Part of It so Much.' LGBTQIA+ Student Experiences of Attending a Psychology Department Led Online Pride Group during the COVID-19 Pandemic

It is crucial that academic institutions offer support to their increasingly diverse student bodies. LGBTQIA+ students often report negative experiences in relation to campus climate and treatment. The aim of this qualitative research was to explore the experiences of LGBTQIA+ students who attend(ed) a collaborative (staff and student), departmentally located (psychology) virtual (synchronous and asynchronous online) Pride group. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four LGBTQIA+ students who had attended one or more virtual group meetings. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using Braun and Clarke's (2006; 2019; 2022) reflexive thematic analysis. Four themes were constructed: being and becoming authentic; safe and restorative spaces; community, and connections. Together these four themes relate to an overarching theme of belonging. Although the cohort was small, the emphatic and consistent findings point to the importance of visible representation of LGBTQIA+ academic staff and the need to provide joint Pride group spaces in academic settings.