Gender-neutral housing is an option for college students that allows them to room with each other regardless of their gender and sexual orientation ("Gender-inclusive housing at MIT", 2015). Some schools have recently pushed for gender-neutral housing on their campuses in order allow “transgender, gay, and lesbian students feel more comfortable with their living situations” (Koma, 2014). As those schools promote gender equality, some students and faculty members might believe that the idea of gender-neutral housing to have more “negative implications” than positive implications (Alec, 2013). However, some students feel uncomfortable with the current state of traditional housing. Traditional housing limits LGBTQ students to rooming with cisgender …show more content…
Schools across the nation face problems related to their students who gay, lesbian, or transgender feeling uncomfortable with the traditional cisgender housing plan. Some problems include students being afraid of others judging them because of their sexual preference and LGBTQ suicides that have occurred on several campuses (Lockhart, 2010). In response to those problems, gender-neutral housing provides students who are feeling uncomfortable due to how they identity themselves around others with a “necessity of comfort for all students in their college living situations” (Lockhart, 2010). Students with access to gender-neutral housing might become aware of how their peers identify themselves. More specifically, transgender students might feel more comfortable when living with a roommate who would not judge them based their preferred identity ("Gender-inclusive housing at MIT", 2015). Therefore, schools provide gender-neutral housing on their campuses in order to promote gender equality and awareness of LGBTQ people in the nation. However, with the current state of gender-neutral housing, LGBTQ students might find themselves isolated from other students on …show more content…
Some schools, such as Harvard University and Washington University in St. Louis, provide gender-neutral housing under special conditions such as location and a student’s class year (Koma, 2014). This decision isolates LGBTQ students from the rest of their peers based on gender identity. Furthermore, several colleges are beginning to discuss about gender-neutral housing because people who favor the idea stressed that it was not about allowing couples to room with each other (Koma, 2014). As a result of these problems, most schools refrain from providing gender-neutral housing mainly because of religious and other public affiliations. Therefore, students and faculty members should promote gender-neutral housing in a positive sense through committees and active discussions about the topic of gender
Matt Zalaznick’s article, “Creating Inclusive Climates”, offers suggestions for how schools can support transgender students and improve school climate by educating classmates and faculty about the needs and experiences of transgender children. The need for such education starts at the elementary school level with many students beginning to identify as being transgender as early as the age of the average kindergartener. Although the implications of Title IX protections state that schools must not discriminate against students on the basis of sex, many districts have strengthened the wording with amendments to include specific wording to include stronger protections for transgender students.
Lukianoff, G. Foundation For Individual Rights in Education, (2007). Hampton university denies recognition to gay and lesbian student group without explanation. Retrieved from website: http://www.thefire.org/hampton-university-denies-recognition-to-gay-and-lesbian-student-group-without-explanation/
...& Hart, M. (2013). Considering class: College access and diversity. Harvard Law & Policy Review, 7(2), 367–403.
Objectives/Purpose of Program: The purpose of this program is to educate students on a variety of topics surrounding LGBTQ community. Incoming freshman may have many questions about LGBTQ community straight or otherwise. We will be addressing questions such as “what if my roommate
Wong, Curtis M. "Transgender Teens Are Fitting In With The Aid Of School Officials, But Concerns Remain." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 19 May 2014. Web. 19 May 2014.
According to an article from USA Today: ““Advocate” chose Austin as one of its 2012 Gayest Cities in America” and goes on describing the city as diverse, youthful and progressive. Austin’s welcoming environment is relevant because residing in a progressive and gay-friendly city will likely influence the mind of those who inhabit the university; increasing the likeliness of queer people being accepted within the community. According to “The State of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin”, a report written by the Queer Students Alliance in 2006: “The mission of The University of Texas is defined by its core values, learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity and responsibility as well as the core purpose to transform lives for the benefit in society." (p.14) during the time I’ve been attending to the University, I can testify that students are constantly being encouraged to uphold these standards. I believe that by pushing students to honor these values, the university promotes a progressive atmosphere of acceptance and experimentation that leads the members of its community to feel more comfortable being queer. As a Women’s and Gender Studies major I have not only experienced several classes concerning LGBTQA+ issues but have also noticed a different student organizations targeted towards members of the LGBTQA+ community. I have been exposed to Delta Lambda Phi, a fraternity for queer men on campus, as well as many other organizations such as Queer People of Color and Allies that target the LGBTQA+ population. UT also counts with resources dedicated to members of the LGBTQA+ community such as the Gender and Sexuality Center which, according to the university’s Division of Diversity and Community Engagement’s website, has as a mission: “to provide opportunities for all members of the UT Austin community to explore, organize, and
Domestic violence is becoming more and more of a reality in today’s world; 57,000 people have been killed in domestic violence situations in the last 25 years (Fantuzzo and Fusco, “Children’s Direct Exposure to Types of Domestic Violence Crime: A Population-based Investigation”). This alarming statistic has prompted the increase of women’s shelters, usually known as “safe houses,” across the nation. Since safe houses are usually non-profit organizations dependent on donations, critics wonder if these shelters’ benefits outweigh the high cost it takes to keep them running. Are women’s shelters actually effective? Based on statistical evidence, the beneficial resources that safe houses provide, and multiple survivors’ stories, it can be proven that women’s shelters are indeed effective and very necessary.
Bilodeau, B. (2003, October). Genderqueer: Understanding transgender student identities. Presented at the American Educational Research Association Research on Women in Education Annual Conference, Knoxville, TN.
Universities, such as Wesleyan University, have even gone to the point of forcing their fraternities to be co-ed in hopes to have women be seen as equals, instead of what others refer to as “much worse.” (New) This is a mildly appropriate way to handle the situation, but it is still missing the fact that generations after generations of men have gone through this system and have all left some sort of legacy to live up to or surpass. So who is to say that these women who venture in aren’t endangering themselves even more, by trying to blend with their new found brethren.
Evidence shows that this group of people are widely disrespected and discriminated against throughout the entire country, particularly with the use of restrooms and other sex-segregated spaces. The reason primarily stems from opponents against transgender rights commonly spouting misinformation on how sexual predators, or transgender people themselves, will sexually assault others in restrooms if they were allowed into their bathroom of choice (Schilt 4). As a result, gender-queer individuals are frequently subjected to transphobia, a belief in a strict gender binary leading to intense dislike, prejudice, and a lack of understanding for transgender individuals. This transphobic discrimination will often lead to a form of dissatisfaction with life causing psychological stress known as dysphoria (Hofelich 7). Ergo, transgender people are a marginalized group that experiences unique and chronic stress resulting from stigmatization that can take a serious toll on mental health (McManama
The world is made up of girls and boys, and men and women. Most schools in the United States have the same goal: to prepare students for their life in the future. The different types of schools, such as single-sex or coed, want students to succeed in college and/or at a job. The main reason for separate gender classes is to conquer obstacles of each gender in a customary class setting. Leonard Sax, the founder of National Association for Single-sex public Education said that “Whenever girls and boys are together, their behavior inevitably reflects the larger society in which they live.”
Most students are against the same school. They want to flirt with the cute guy in math or ask the shy girl in history for a pencil, even if they already have one. Same-sex classrooms provide a multitude of benefits, because they promote better behavior, higher grades, improved self-esteem, and are able to cater to a student’s needs. The same classes make it possible for teachers to cater to student needs in a more efficient way. In general, boys benefit from hands-on learning, but girls benefit from calm discussions (Mullins 3).
In the United States, more than 700,000 people have identified themselves as transgender. These statistics include people of all ages from the children to the elderly. In several surveys conducted in U.S. schools, several children were identified as transgender. For instance, in a 2015 survey in Dane County, 1.5% of the students were transgender (Hoffman). With the revelation, there is a call for unisex bathrooms to accommodate all these students. For example, a nine-year-old student was denied access to the female bathroom in Queensland (Hosking and Sun). This shows that transgender people sometimes go through a hard time; especially in societies where being a transgender has not been accepted. Statistics show that transgender people often become victims of bullying. For instance, 22 women were murdered in 2015 due to being transgender (Goodyear). Additionally, a report by The National Transgender Discrimination Survey shows that more than 40% of transgender people have attempted suicide because of the lack of acceptance in the society (Grant, Mottet, and Tanis 2). Although unisex bathrooms will not eliminate transphobia, it will be a start to ensuring their acceptance in the future. Stereotypes associated with transgender people will be crushed at an early age, giving an opportunity for their acceptance in the
The issue of gender neutral bathrooms and transgender bathrooms is a hot topic right now in North America. Some people are strongly for it and others are going to great lengths to stop it. The majority of public bathrooms in Canada and The United States of America are gender segregated. Public bathrooms are one of the last places to still be separated by gender. Men and women work with each other, sit next to each other in restaurants, use public pools together, and much more. A bathroom with a locked stall, or single occupancy washrooms with a lock, should not be much different. When the idea was raised by the LGBTQIA*+ community to have transgender bathrooms or gender neutral bathrooms, North America was divided. There were those with no
Recently, there has been an uproar of debates on the topic of gender neutral bathrooms. Most of the debates have had to deal with the LGBTQ+ community trying to use the bathroom they identify with. However, these debates have mainly focused on transgenders, “transgender is a term used to describe people whose gender identity differs from the sex the doctor marked on their birth certificate” (GLADD). There has been several bills that “have been filed in three states to prevent transgender people from using bathrooms consistent with their gender identity” (Tannehill). Kentucky has tried to pass bills that target transgender students, but the bill in Texas and Florida would apply to everywhere (Tannehill). There are many different sides to this