Diversity In Education

In “What Should “Diversity on Campus” Mean and Why?” various authors argue how it is difficult for women to get on a college campus, and to be comfortable on college campuses. In her article, “Trans Women at Smith,” Sarah Fraas, explains how difficult it is for transgender women to just apply to Women only universities: specifically, Smith’s. A study conducted by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force figured out that less than half of transgender students have been able to update their school information (Fraas). It has been stated that some of the students who tried were immediately rejected by their high school. Also, in another article “Muslim American Women in Campus Culture,” Shabana Mir argues how it is difficult for female Muslim American

In recent years, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has received an increasing number of questions from parents and schools regarding civil rights protections for transgender students. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination in educational programs/activities based on gender, including discrimination based on a student’s gender identity or transgender status. This letter, while it does not add requirements to applicable law, provides significant guidance and encouragement regarding a school’s Title IX obligations for transgender students and how a school is evaluate for compliance with these obligations.

Most don’t explicitly look into the complexity of a transgender person’s life and all the questions or problems one might face: Do I use the men’s or the women’s bathroom? Is it appropriate to use this locker room? Those are only two of the many questions a transgender person might run into on a daily basis because of how others would see the situation, how the people who may have a sneaking suspicion that the woman they saw go into the ladies’ bathroom isn’t actually female by their definition, or how it could also seem strange to see that same person go into the mens’ bathroom. These all lead to dysphoria in any person’s situation in public places due to the fact that many choose to taunt or mock the person; however, with the help of Title IX these questions could start to vanish from the thoughts of many transgender students which Blad exemplifies with a quote in her article:

A review of McKibben, Sarah (January 2016) Charting a Course to Transgender Inclusion, Education Update, volume 58, number 1, pages 2-3,15 reviewed by John A. Kelley. Also found online: http://www.ascd.org/publications/newsletters/education-update/jan16/vol58/num01/Charting-a-Course-to-Transgender-Inclusion.aspx

As support for the LGBT population arises across the United States, colleges and universities have responded by creating positive spaces and environments for students. However, in some cases, not all populations are served adequately. A population specifically, transgender students, sometimes do not receive the same support gay, lesbian and bisexual students receive. An issue facing LGBT Services at DePauw University is providing adequate services to transgender students. Providing educational programming, gender neutral restrooms, faculty education, and counseling for transgender students could increase support for students who identify as transgender.

This paper aims to explain the programs and activities, offered by Central Piedmont Community college(CPCC) related to providing an inclusive environment for the students. The paper discusses how CPCC programs and activities are inclusive for all the students including Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning (LGBTQ) students. The author of this paper interviewed Justin Knoll, Student Life Assistant Coordinator at CPCC. Finally, the paper discusses the author's point of view regarding providing an inclusive environment to all the students.

Coming out as a transgender, identifying with a gender expression that differs from the assigned sex, has proven to be quite difficult through the ages. While the acceptance of transgender people has grown significantly higher throughout the years, people’s stance on them are still quite divided, and the uphill battle for transgender rights has proven this. Just giving transgenders the right to simply go to the bathroom they identify with has shown to be controversial according to the TIME cover Battle of the Bathroom. The TIME magazine makes sure to note the problem defiantly “far more than public facilities” (Scherer par. 9). Transgender rights are a problem that Jamison Green, president for World Professional Association for Transgender Health, thoroughly addresses in a report written by Alan Greenblatt for CQ Researcher. Jamison Green’s specific purpose in that report is to justify why transgender people deserve basic human rights like everybody else, as shown in society, through his use of facts, qualifiers, figurative language, counterarguments, and appeals to logic and values.

Ensuring support to transgender students within the school system is relevant for the US Government. Therefore, the Department of Education has compile examples of policies to support transgender student. In addition, to ensure that transgender students are called or identified by the appropriate name and pronouns; informed school officials determine which name and pronouns a transgender student prefers. Moreover, consistency with a student gender identity is essential; thus, some schools embraced policies to capacitate school faculty and students to adopt the newly name of a transgender student.

Transgender students all across the United States are struggling as they try to fit in at their school. A “Transgender”, or “Trans” individual is someone “whose gender is different from the ones they were know as at birth. They may identify as male or female, or they feel that neither gender fits them” (“What Does Transgender Mean”). As transgender awareness is becoming more known to the public, their issues are becoming more and more obvious. Schools should put more effort into setting rules and adjusting the school environment so these students feel more accepted. With more and more transgender and gender-non conformist students “coming out”, it is becoming increasingly important that schools target their issues feeling accepted in their classrooms. Some believe, however, that this is not necessary and are against supporting transgender teenagers, but that is disrespecting a student’s beliefs and identity. Despite the feelings against transgender rights in a school place, transgender students should be recognized as their identified gender because of the excessive bullying they face, to help keep down transgender suicide rates, and to make bathrooms and locker rooms a more comfortable and safe environment.

Mixed gender rights have definitely come to the forefront in recent years for institutions in higher education. Long gone are the days of our parents and grandparents where gender identity and sexual preference were hush-hush. Students have pushed the boundaries of their respective school’s policies on transgender rights and have forced these institutions to institute policies to address these issues of equality on campus. My research will highlight the myriad of ways that higher education has addressed transgender rights on their campuses.

Spearheaded by Sophomore Abby Snyder, this group of students are fighting to create an inclusive community where students that identity as transgender can feel comfortable and have a safe place to use the restroom. After talking with Abby Snyder and Kelly Doran, the assistant director for capital planning and construction at Colby, it is clear that there are many possible ways of implementing gender-neutral bathrooms on Colby’s campus. For example, a short term solution would be to to make all bathrooms in the dorms coed. Since Hillside buildings only have space for one bathroom on each floor. As a result, when someone whose sex does not correspond with the gender indicated on the bathroom sign, they have to go downstairs. In these buildings, if everyone is okay with making these bathrooms coed, it should be allowed by the school for them to do so. This acts as a quick and easy fix that benefits the transgender community as well as the cisgender community because it means that men and women do not need to travel to certain floors to use the “appropriate” bathroom. Since a majority of this school states that they feel comfortable with using bathrooms with someone of a different sex or gender, the Colby rule preventing coed bathrooms should be revoked. Secondly, if a dorm has two bathrooms on one floor, they could make one of these bathrooms gender-neutral to benefit those who do not mind it, and then bathrooms for specific genders could alternate by floor. A third possible idea would be to have student indicate on their housing application whether or not they are comfortable sharing a bathroom with another sex or gender. This way, multiple dorms could have all gender-neutral bathrooms and only have people who feel comfortable with it, while other dorms could have people who are not comfortable with it. These are a few of many possible ways to

A recent issue about transgender students has been occurring all over the United States. Whether or not transgender students should be allowed to use the bathroom at school of the sex they identify with not the sex they were born into. Everyday around the United States it is a constant source of humiliation for transgender students not being able to use the bathroom of the sex they identify with. During my interview with Ryan Foss, he said “it felt like a slap in the face,” when he was told that he could no longer use the men’s restroom at school. Over the past few years there have been more and more talk about whether or not it is against transgender students to be told they cannot use the bathroom of the sex they identify with.

The typical narrative of gender non-conforming individuals I have been exposed to is that of a “man born in a woman’s body”, so while I found myself at a disconnect from my assigned label as a girl, my limited understanding of gender left me confused when I found I was no more personally connected to a male label. Recently however, I have learned that it is possible for someone to fall past the traditional narrative of transgender America; identifying as neither man nor woman, both man and woman, or somewhere between the two. Gaining this knowledge allowed me to realize with the discomfort I find in being called “ma’am”, unease in being referred to as a “daughter” or “sister”, and disassociation with conventionally female pronouns she/her, that I could identify my gender as agender or more broadly,

Understanding the types of students enrolled in a college or university is essential for the student body and educational institutions. The department that should take the initiative of this aspect of a school should involve professional staff to help in structuring better-rounded student affairs on campus. This strategy gives more opportunities for staff and students to enhance positive relationships between the members and/or groups, including transgender students, of the educational institution. Taking a closer look at these individuals is critical because the numbers are increasing as it becomes more open to the public. Colleges and universities should promote special training to staff and other school members and leaders before transgender becomes widespread. Educational institutions have embraced the

Transgender inequality has been the topic of controversy within recent years. As time moves on, rallies become more frequent, organizations are becoming more widespread, and legislation is being passed to help integrate transgender citizens within society. At the root of most of this controversy seems to be transgender students’ rights within education, and what progress can be made to expand upon those rights, or even sometimes the lack of them. While this controversy is vibrant and spreading like a wildfire, it is nowhere near a recent occurrence. Within education, transgender students have been the subject of exclusion in education throughout history, causing further controversy.