By Amanda Smith\/\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the recent surge in transphobic rhetoric in the United States, Hood\u2019s increasingly diverse student body is attempting to uplift the transgender and nonbinary community through policy implementation and events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In many states across the U.S., there has been an increase in transphobic legislation, one of most well-known cases being the Tennessee law that restricts drag performances in public spaces. Florida also recently advanced a bill that would ban gender-affirming care and strip parental rights from parents who support their transgender children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, in the past three months, 10 Republican-led states have passed laws banning gender-affirming care for young people. For those under the age of 18, these laws prohibit or severely restrict the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and transition surgery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lisa Marcus, chair of the President\u2019s Council on Transgender Inclusivity, said Hood has been actively working to become more trans-friendly in its policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re fortunate at Hood that we\u2019re not in a state that is actively doing those things,\u201d Marcus said. Marcus started the President\u2019s Council on Transgender Inclusivity about six years ago because she saw a need to help uplift and affirm Hood\u2019s transgender students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been working with this group of people from all different departments for years to try and affirm our trans students any way we can,\u201d Marcus said. \u201cThe types of things that we try to do are host events that will make transgender issues more visible on campus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Queer Student Union (QSU) also plays a large part in organizing events to uplift LGBTQ+ students on campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe recently did a bras and binders event for Trans Day of Visibility,\u201d said Anna Leplatt, president of the QSU. \u201cWe talked about the access that a lot of trans youth especially don’t have to these options. There are a lot of trans women who have access to bras, and a lot of trans men who don\u2019t have access to binders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The club hosts weekly events with the goal of promoting unity amongst LGBTQ+ students on campus. There is also no public documentation of anyone who attends these events due to safety and privacy reasons, Leplatt said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Marcus, along with events that affirm student identities, policy implementation also plays a huge role in transgender inclusivity on campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have implemented a name change policy at Hood that we didn\u2019t have just three years ago where students can go into their Self Service profile and change their name at any time,\u201d Marcus said. \u201cAnd it does not have to be a legal name change, it\u2019s their chosen name. That name is then supposed to show up on all course rosters, you can get an ID with that name without extra charge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hood also works to ensure that its facilities, including restrooms and dormitories, are inclusive for transgender students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have all gender restrooms located throughout campus,\u201d said Tammi Simpson, vice president of Community and Inclusivity. \u201cThe Office of Residence Life works to ensure that residence halls are inclusive for all students, including transgender students. For example, Residence Life offers flexible housing and roommate matching for LGBTQ+ students.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additionally, Hood offers workshops to educate faculty and staff about the experiences and needs of transgender and nonbinary students on campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe provide information about trans inclusive practices through email to the Hood Community, programming throughout the year, and continuing education for faculty and staff,\u201d Simpson said. The most recent workshop for faculty and staff focused on trans friendly practices on campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Education on transgender issues and experiences plays a significant role in cultivating an inclusive environment on campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think it would be helpful for students who are not part of that community to learn on their own, to make the effort to go out and learn rather than asking their trans or nonbinary friends to educate them all the time,\u201d Marcus said. \u201cThat\u2019s a real burden on trans and nonbinary folks, to be the educator all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Leplatt also stated that next year they want the QSU to organize more education events promoting advocacy and building community. \u201cOn campus right now, I know that we do have a larger queer community than a lot of other colleges in this area,\u201d Leplatt said. \u201cHood itself is doing a good job making sure that people feel included, as well as amplifying those voices.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs a nonbinary student at Hood, I feel safe and comfortable expressing who I am,\u201d said sophomore Alex Kowalski. \u201cThe staff, students, and faculty on campus make me feel even safer because they respect my pronouns as well as my chosen name.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy experience on campus has been mixed,\u201d said a transgender student who wished to remain anonymous. \u201cFrom the start, staff seemed as if they were only acting supportive, while not actually taking action.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The student was placed in a residence hall on a floor with primarily other transgender and LGBTQ+ students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere are 15 students on my floor; nine of them are transgender or nonbinary, and 12 of them are otherwise LGBT,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is unacceptable and in my opinion, very clearly discrimination. I know another transgender student whose transgender status was disclosed without consent to their roommate by ResLife. Situations like this are inappropriate and put vulnerable students in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The student also shared concerns regarding Hood\u2019s staff and faculty not being properly trained on trans inclusive practices. \u201cI have a professor who made her students write name tags with “preferred names and pronouns” on them the first day,\u201d he said. \u201cDespite that, she’s constantly showing her attendance on the projector, where students’ deadnames can be visible. She also often misgenders students but pretends she does not and dismisses it when we point it out to her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDespite that, I’ve had good experiences as well,\u201d he added. \u201cToll House was very inclusive and respectful of how being transgender affects my medical visits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI definitely feel supported by staff and faculty,\u201d said a nonbinary instructor at Hood who wished to remain anonymous. \u201cMy colleagues and supervisors are unfailingly kind, understanding, and respectful. They genuinely care about being inclusive and have never complained about the use of singular ‘they’ pronouns as being confusing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI do think that Hood is trying to be inclusive,\u201d said the instructor. \u201cListening to the experiences of my students, my impression is that many of their complaints have to do with a lack of spaces and events specifically for trans, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming folks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019re ever doing enough,\u201d Marcus said in regard to transgender inclusivity on campus. \u201cI think I would answer that way no matter what we were doing. It\u2019s something that could always be improved.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"