As students begin to settle in a routine at Columbia—finding their place in campus activities, learning the bureaucracy of the system, and slowly becoming caffeine addicts—a small group of students begins to question where it belongs.
Transgender people, those who choose to identify with the gender opposite to their sex, have a history of not fitting in. Defying their sex, transgender people break away from the gender and sexual binaries, so they fit in as neither women nor men, neither gay nor straight. Rather, they are a combination, a mix-and-match of characteristics that are difficult to define at first glance. For this reason, many find that students at Columbia, as well as the University's general policies, do not know how to deal with transgender students.
The trans issue was elevated to front-page status last year when GS student Raemond Grosz demonstrated the lack of understanding in University policy regarding trans students. Unable to secure a single room from Barnard as a first-year trans male, he decided to change schools instead. Sadly, Grosz's problem is not unique or new, and Grosz's actions are a demonstration of how much change is needed.
There are a number of groups on campus that deal with the queer and LGBT community, but few that deal specifically with the question of transgender students. Miranda Elliot's group, GendeRevolution, is the only campus group to deal directly with the transgender question. Focused on increasing awareness of trans issues and education, GendeRevolution will be hosting a number of events this week in honor of transgender week, including educational sessions and their much-awaited GenderF*ck party on Friday. As Elliot says, the main problem is simply a lack of knowledge about trans issues, not a lack of desire to learn more, which hopefully at least puts us in the right direction.
But trans issues in general don't attract much focus, in part because other, perhaps less charged queer issues often take the lead, such as the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ROTC policy and the controversial debate that it has ignited on campus in the past few months. Another reason transgender issues are often swept under the rug is that the idea of "transgender" violates so many of the social norms we follow everyday. Trans issues have been put aside as too confusing or messy to deal with directly, causing a lack of policy and an overall hostile environment towards transgender students. Not knowing how to react or even talk about these issues, many students avoid them, not wanting to offend but not helping either, only making things more problematic. "Sometimes it feels as though you're the only trans student here at Columbia," reflects Elliot, a clear way in which not dealing with this issues affects trans students.
But things are starting to change. The Barnard group, Q, which focuses on queer issues at Barnard, has begun to work on a trans policy for the school, which they hope to present to the administration soon. Some Barnard students also hope to pass a new, more inclusive rooming policy, which would allow female and male students to room together and would make it easier for trans students to room with someone whose gender they could identify with. In addition, GendeRevolution is seeking to make gender-neutral bathrooms more available, especially since trans people have had a number of issues with gendered bathrooms at the University, including being kicked out for using the "wrong" bathroom.
It remains to be seen what Columbia will do about transgender issues. Although housing is clearly a more prominent problem in single-sex universities like Barnard, transgender students nonetheless have issues with the University as a whole. Some, for example, would especially point towards Health Services and how they deal with trans students. Although reports have been getting better, it's the details that trans students want more attention to be given to. Elliot also raised a point about how the hormones necessary for sex reassignment surgery are still not being prescribed by Health Services—a change that would greatly benefit some trans students who are seeking this treatment but who often have trouble finding doctors or resources in this area.
A more inclusive campus needs to develop, where the voices of multiple students are heard. Clearly, in order for this to happen, more education is needed on the needs of the trans community, not just for the administration but also for the student body.
As our world progresses toward what we hope is a more inclusive notion of gender and sexuality, the least we can do is try to understand the complicated social norms and limitations imposed on those who call themselves transgender. It is through this understanding that we will be able to transcend the barriers we have helped erect, and erase the borders that transgender students already challenge.
Laura Torre is a Columbia College sophomore.
"Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets. "
Napoleon Bonaparte
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