Last week we celebrated Transgender Day of Visibility! In the college, we celebrated this, in part, by signing the Gender Identity Bill of Rights (GIBOR) developed by Pride VMC. Demonstrating our support for trans, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming community members is as important as ever as we see anti-trans attacks across the nation (including interpersonally and legislatively). Florida recently passed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which prohibits K-12 teachers from discussing sexual orientation. In Texas, parents of trans children are under threat, where allowing children to express their gender outside of that assigned at birth is being likened to child abuse. When it comes to physical violence, transgender people are four times as likely to be victims of violent crime as their cisgender counterparts, and these rates are higher for trans people of color.
So, what can we do to support our trans, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming colleagues (including students, faculty, and staff)?
- Sign the GIBOR yourself. We signed it and encourage you to join us!
- Speak up! When you notice a colleague being mis-gendered or demeaned, say something. Correct colleagues who make mistakes and let’s commit to educating one another.
- Learn about CSU’s resources for our trans community.
- Sign up for a safe zone training from CSU’s Pride Resource Center.
These steps can engage us all in creating a more inclusive and equitable environment in for our college community, both our current community and those who will join us!