Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Video
Panel discusses transgender issues
The implications of words such as "transsexual", "transgender" and "genderqueer" can be confusing. In order to clear up some of these issues, Queers & Allies and the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center are playing host to “Tranny Talk: Transgender Speaker’s Panel.”
What: Tranny Talk: Transgender Speaker’s Panel
Who: Queers & Allies and the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center
When: 7 p.m.
Where: Alderson Auditorium
The panel will be made up of three transgender students, a transgender activist from Kansas City, a transgender Lawrence resident and a local transgender person’s partner. They will each talk about their own experiences and issues they face. Afterward, the floor will be opened to audience questions.
One of the students, Jayne Henson, Ulysses sophomore, is a male to female transgender, meaning she is physically male, but identifies herself as female. She is also the Activism Coordinator for Queers & Allies. She said these issues were closer to home than some people might think.
“There are studies that show that 1 percent of people are transgender,” Henson said. “A lot of transgender people are not as open about it.”
The panel was scheduled to coincide with Transgender Day of Remembrance Nov. 20, which was started after a transgender woman was murdered in San Francisco 10 years ago. This is the second year the Tranny Talk panel has been held at the University.
Saida Bonifield, graduate sponsor of Queers & Allies, said events such as Tranny Talk were important for the community.
“I think it’s important to show that the campus protects transgender people,” Bonifield said.
The University has made recent strides to protect the rights of transgender people. Last semester, Student Senate expanded a policy to protect people from discrimination based on gender identity. Last month, the University Senate Executive Committee extended the policy to protect people campus-wide, including students, faculty and staff.
Elise Higgins, community affairs director for Student Senate, said that since the change to campus policy, there had been more pressure to pass similar changes on the city level. But a policy similar to the University’s has yet to be implemented.
Higgins said these changes were overdue.
“There have been community forums on the issue and now it’s time for a policy change,” Higgins said. “It’s easy to assume that the issue isn’t about them, but it’s about human rights, which everybody needs. The trans/genderqueer community has been excluded from the full protection of the law for too long.”
Follow Zach White at twitter.com/zachandthenews.
— Edited by Abby Olcese
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