Updating College and University Campus Policies

SUMMARY

This article gathers information not only from my own personal experiences, but also from the experiences of trans students, staff and faculty members with whom I have worked as a human sexuality educator and consultant, and from my current qualitative research on trans youth for my PhD dissertation. As the trans community becomes more visible, and people become more comfortable in asserting their gender non-conforming characteristics, a backlash of harassment and discrimination has been evident across our campuses. Colleges and universities are often ignorant or ill-equipped without accurate knowledge of trans people, and as a result isolate students and employees, or ignore them altogether. This article discusses the current challenges of trans students, staff and faculty members, as well as addresses specific ways in which schools can improve work conditions and provide access to a safe education for all students.

Key Words:

• Transgender
• transsexual
• gender queer
• college policies
• discrimination