Should professors email by blind carbon copying (bcc) students prior to the first day of classes about their preferred names and pronouns? Similarly to how students who are diagnosed with learning disabilities have accommodations and must tell professors along with giving them the documented accommodations they have. Also should housing and bathroom accommodations be made for those who identify as queer and feel uncomfortable going in the bathroom of their sex they were assigned at birth? Would any of these suggestions or ideas give people who identify as queer equality? Or will more need to be done, and if so what more needs to improve for equality to be reached.
Monday, September 14, 2015
Gender Equality in College
Should professors email by blind carbon copying (bcc) students prior to the first day of classes about their preferred names and pronouns? Similarly to how students who are diagnosed with learning disabilities have accommodations and must tell professors along with giving them the documented accommodations they have. Also should housing and bathroom accommodations be made for those who identify as queer and feel uncomfortable going in the bathroom of their sex they were assigned at birth? Would any of these suggestions or ideas give people who identify as queer equality? Or will more need to be done, and if so what more needs to improve for equality to be reached.
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I find this topic to be very interesting for a number of reasons. Everyone has seen the recent victory for same-sex couples, heard the news stories, and "supports love". Although, what has really changed? Of course now people can marry whoever they wish to, and can enjoy less legal persecutions in response to their preferred lifestyle. However, the problem still faced by people is not legal acceptance, but more social. I think that any accommodations that are necessary for people to feel more comfortable in their own environment and skin should be made. My father is handicapped, and has been since he was a senior in high school. He witnessed how the world adapted for people with disabilities, and is the first to say how amazing times have changed for people who "just need a little help around". I think that this is not the "finishing move to total equality", but it is a step to it, and thats what is needed now.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really great topic you bring up and the video you posted was really eye opening for me personally. There was one of your questions I found particularly interesting and that was about the housing and bathroom accomidations for queer students. This was also addressed in the video and I was thinking about what could be done to help them out. The idea I came up with was to send out anonymous emails that asked what you identified as so teachers could identify you correctly. The next part of my idea was to set up separate hallways or floors or even entire dorm buildings for purely queer students. In these buildings/floors/hallways there wouldn't be any specifically gendered bathrooms so students wouldn't have to fear being judged going to the bathroom. Also the fact that those locations would consist of purely queer students they would have a community in which they could feel safe and support each other with any troubles that come around. I think equality is making strides, equality has won a battle with gay marriage but not the war.
ReplyDeleteAgreeing with Joe, I too find this topic to be very interesting. I also like to bring this back to the change in law in favor of same sex marriage. However, even though same sex marriage is now legal in all 50 states, does not mean the stereotypes and negative thoughts will change in a blink of an eye. We are still human, and people who did not agree with same sex marriage before the law passed are more than likely not going to agree with the law now. As for changing and accommodating situations so that gay people, and even transgenders feel equal, I think we should be doing everything we need to in order to make them feel just like everyone else considering they are just another human being. I do believe that teachers should make sure they are calling each student by their preferred pronoun. I also believe each student should have the right to choose whichever bathroom is most comfortable for them to utilize, depending on their sexual orientation. There is no reason for us to make others feel less compared to those surrounding them, especially since in the end we are all a part of the same human race.
ReplyDeleteI find this topic fascinating because the trans community is one of the most pushed under the rug minorities. This may be because they make up a relatively small part of the population and many people never interact directly with a transgender person in their everyday life. This does not justify the poor treatment of the trans community though. While the legalization of same sex marriage in all 50 states is an important step in achieving equality for all, it doesn’t change the fact that 55% of transgender youth report being physical attacked at school because of their gender identity or that 28% of gay and bisexual youth drop out of school due to peer harassment (http://www.lgbt.ucla.edu/documents/GLBTQYouth_000.pdf). Because drop out rates are disproportionately high for the LGBTQ community, it is important to change our schools. The University of Vermont currently allows students to specify the first name and pronoun they want used on campus. Their preferred name and gender then appear on class rosters and transcripts. They provide trans-friendly housing options and gender neutral restrooms (http://www.uvm.edu/~lgbtqa/?Page=transinfo.html&SM=programsmenu.html). I believe that if every school modeled their policies after the University of Vermont’s that it would create safer, more welcoming environments across the country. While marriage equality should be celebrated, we should also be aware that it hardly lessens the plight of the LGBTQ community. We have a long way to go when it comes to achieving equality for all people regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation.
ReplyDeleteFor the last few years, the idea of equality among all genders and preferences has become quite the hot button topic. The fact that marriage equality has been achieved in 50 states is a great thing, and it will certainly help to bring equality to the LGBTQ community, but I'm not entirely sure what needs to happen for the equality of transsexual people to feel equal. At least compared to the plight of trans people, the right of gay marriage seems like an incredibly simple topic to talk about. I honestly feel that making special accommodations for trans people would be the wrong way to go about bringing equality. By enlisting special privileges or accommodations, you are essentially admitting that trans people need to be treated differently in order to be equal. And how can someone be equal if they are being treated differently? This is the big problem with bringing equality to everyone in the LGBTQ community. We need to find a way to make them feel comfortable in the world without treating them differently from everyone else. I feel that instead of pointing out how LGBTQ people are different, and accommodate those differences, we should be pointing out how they are just like everyone else, and that will be a first step towards equality for everyone in the LGBTQ community
ReplyDeleteAgreeing with Daniel, I think that making special accommodations for transsexual people is not the way to go when it comes to making them feel comfortable and safe. That would almost make them outcasts. In the video, they talked about how they feel when it comes to going to the bathroom. Everyone said that they did not feel comfortable going to the bathroom, but if they were seen going to a special bathroom just for them, wouldn't they feel even more uncomfortable? Throughout the video, I got the feeling that they were portraying a message that they just want to fit in and not be treated or looked at differently. They just want to be treated with the gender that they identify with, so offering special accommodations would not accomplish that and would actually make things worse. People just need to accept it, and accept that trans people are just like you and I, they are not any different because of the gender they identify with. That is easier said then done, it's not going to happen over night. Look at slavery for instance. When slaves were first granted their freedom, were they truly free? No, years of segregation took place prior to their freeing and even today you still see colored people being treated differently, with the Ferguson case and the many more related scandals that took place after that. Gender equality has definitely come a long way, with the recent laws passing gay marriage, but there is still a long way to go. I am not even sure if there will ever be complete gender equality, you will always have people who will make fun of those who are transsexual, but it can definitely be improved it will just take time.
ReplyDeleteAgreeing with Daniel and Ryan, I think that putting aside separate facilities for people who do not identify as their assigned gender at birth is a way of ostracizing them. All the trans community wants to do is be accepted and if they are second away with separate bathrooms it shows vividly that they are different, when all they want is to "blend in" like you and I. I find this topic extremely interesting because our society has dealt with many forms of inequality. Having separate accomodations could also be problematic because it could be viewed as a form of separation, as if cis people requested separate facilities for transgender people. I also believe that if someone has preferred pronouns it should be like a disability, where you inform the teacher one on one about how you would preferred to be called in class, maybe even in a personal email before classes start. Everyone has the right to equality, and luckily this country is taking a step in the right direction regarding the new laws on gay marriage.
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