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		Gender Bind?, Gender Blind… SpecialT Housing: Meeting the Needs of Transgender Students By: Susanne Ferrin, Director of Residence Life, Philadelphia University “I may not look beautiful to the world,” one patient said, but “when I can gaze in the mirror and see an image that matches the mind, that’s what it’s all about, that’s when I will be free (M. Brown and C. Rounsley).” This statement by a transgender person considering her life gives us a very small insight into what it must feel like when you are living in a body which differs from your gender identity. People who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual are glad to be recognized as such once they are comfortable with their own identities. Transgender-identified people rarely get to have the experience of being recognized as their “inner” gender in our society; without stares, and perhaps unfeeling remarks. Why is this an important area to discuss and understand? Today’s students are increasingly comfortable with being open about their sexual orientation and gender identify. As a result, more and more openly gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning (GLBTQ) students are entering our institution’s doors. One segment of this population that is still very new to most campuses is that of the “T,” transgender students. As housing and residential life professionals many of us have not had the opportunity to meet resident students who identify as transgender on a personal level. Thus, we have lots to learn about: 1) what it truly means to be transgender and 2) how best to assist and offer services to residents who identify as such. I strongly encourage you to work towards trying to better serve the transgender population. Doing so will assist students to feel safe and comfortable on your campus, and may in fact increase the retention of transgender students. Challenge of dating…Timothy – “The teen years were easily the most unhappy time of my life,” he said. “I didn’t date. I felt out of place because I didn’t feel male or female inside of my male body. Then later I read a story about a French transsexual and saw it as a replay of my life.” (M. Brown and C. Rounsley) One of the common questions that comes up is what exactly is trans-gendered? So I thought it would be helpful to give a few basic definitions before talking about how to help these students. Transsexuals are individuals who feel strongly that they should be the opposite sex. They believe that the body that they were born in does not match who they feel they are internally. Gender benders are males or females who challenge and cross traditional gender boundaries. Ex: men who wear dresses but have beards. Gender bending is often done for dramatic effect Transgender – There are two common definitions. 1) includes transsexuals who choose to live as the opposite gender, and not to have sex reassignment surgery, and 2) includes transsexuals who want to have surgery, those who have no desire to have surgery, post-operative transsexuals, male to female transvestites, drag queens, female impersonators, male impersonators, gender benders, and people who are experiencing gender confusion (more of an “umbrella” term) Understanding and what you can do on your campus… While more and more campuses are realizing that this population needs to be supported by offices and full-time staff to help meet their specific needs, there remains lots of room for growth. What can you and your staff do to better assist students who identify as transgender or who are discovering this as how they identify their gender? If you have not already done so, it is critical to increase your understanding of what it means to be transgender. Recently in my role as the GLBT Network Chair for ACUHO-I, I was contacted by a college campus health care professional. She contacted me because there were no resources on her campus that could assist her office in working with an in-coming student who identified as transgender. This student was planning to begin hormone therapy while on campus at the institution. In addition, the health care professional was on a campus that was not open to GLBTQ students in general. Thus, she had quite a challenge in researching how best to assist the new resident student. This could, and most likely will, happen on your campus if it has not already. In trying to help her, I had a number of suggestions. They are as follows: Look for ways to increase both you and your staffs understanding. This could be done via professional conferences, workshops, directed readings, training with both your professional and paraprofessional staff, etc. Invite yourself to speak with members of the GLBT groups on campus (faculty, staff and most importantly the students). Consider the need for policies, which specifically address transgender students and not just the gay, lesbian, and bisexual identified students. Ask yourself, what are the current and future needs of your population? How might you best be able to meet those needs? And, can you successfully make changes gradually if necessary? If you are able to move forward with supportive policies, be sure to include all constituencies in that development. They would include the following: alumni, current students, faculty, parents and staff. The more support that you have, the more successful your policies will potentially be. Campuses with current programs Campuses across the country have considered policy changes including the following: 1) implementing gender neutral language on campus, 2) providing gender blind bathrooms and 3) providing gender blind housing. Massachusetts College of Art, Swarthmore, Weslyan College (CT) and UC, Santa Barbara are all schools that have successfully implemented one or more of these solutions. Not only do these policy changes benefit transgender students, but they also benefit the students who challenge gender lines. Suggestions and questions to ask if you are considering the development of new policies to address the needs of transgender students: Not all transgender students have the same needs. Because of potential stigmas attached, these students might need more individual attention. Asking questions to gain a better understanding is “ok.” It is the only way we can learn from others. Just be sure to do it in a caring and genuine manner. What do you anticipate the challenges would be on your campus? What do you anticipate the successes would be? Are you aware of the transgender/transsexual populations on your campus? What would the implications of putting these policies into effect be on your campus? I believe that it is up to residential life and student affairs professionals to lead the way in determining how best to meet the needs of our transgender students. Unless your office begins to discuss and address this area, it is very likely that you will lose the chance of attracting very qualified GLBT students, faculty and staff. All members of your campus community deserve to be comfortable in their environment. “Remarkable Journey” This is a remarkable journey. I’m like Alice Through the looking glass seeing the world Turned inside out and upside down. I haven’t changed my intrinsic outlook on life, And yet my perspective has shifted almost completely. The scene is the same, but the watcher’s eyes Have somehow changed. The map of my soul remains unaltered, only the context is completely new. (M. Brown and C. Rounsley) Bibliography: Read My Lips – Sexual Subversion and the End of Gender, by Riki Anne Wilchins She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders, by Jennifer Finney Boylan Transgender Warriors: Making History From Joan of Arc to Dennis Rodman, by Leslie Feinberg Trans-Sister Radio, by Chris Bohjalian True Selves: Understanding Transsexualism – for Families, Friends, Coworkers and Helping Professionals, by Mildred L. Brown and Chloe Ann Rounsley Other books / publications to consider to increase your understanding in general… The Advocate – biweekly published magazine Body Alchemy, by Loren Cameron Conundrum, by Jan Morris Gender Outlaw, by Kate Bornstein In Search of Eve, by Anne Bolin Sex Changes, by Pat Califa Speaking As A Woman, By Alison Laing The Transsexual Empire, by Janice G. Raymond Transsexuals: Candid Answers to Private Questions, by Gerald Ramsey, Ph.D. About the Author: Susanne Ferrin is currently the Director of Residence Life at Philadelphia University. Prior to that she has worked in Housing and Residence Life at Temple University, the College of Notre Dame, Gettysburg College and Carnegie Mellon. Susanne can be reached at ferrins@PhilaU.edu.